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by tmtcltb



Category: The Last Ship (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-06-09 17:20:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 66,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6916399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmtcltb/pseuds/tmtcltb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny struggles with memories of his family and friends as they approach his home state, while trying to build a future with Kara. Future timeline after season 2. (Repost from FF. I will add chapters as I have time.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Danny stood at the rail, staring at the coastline barely visible in the distance, illuminated by the setting sun. It all seemed so normal - the swells hitting the hull of the destroyer, the scent of the cold salt water, the slight chill. For a moment he could almost believe that he was on the ferry to New London, ready to grab the train to Hartford. His parents had never failed to meet him there for the final drive home to Cornwall, no matter how late the train was running or how little notice he had given them of his arrival. _Home_. Funny how Cornwall had always seemed like home, even though he hadn't actually lived there for years. But when he thought about _home_ , it wasn't a navy base that came to mind (any of the five different ones that he had been stationed at over the years), but instead the backwater town where he had grown up. He could picture it so clearly: his parents' rambling old colonial that was boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter, the scent of the candles that his mother matched to the season – floral aromas during the summer and then switching to cookies and pumpkins as the holidays grew near, and the stream of people that seemed to constantly flow through the house.

Danny had never questioned the unbroken presence as a child. The son of the local doctor and the high school principle, his parents known everyone, and everyone had known them. Both had grown up in Cornwall and, after moving away for college and, in his mother's case, medical school, they had returned to build their careers and their family. From his earliest memories, Danny's home had been a hub of activity, as people came to his parents for advice or for company. Later there had been friends his own age coming and going – his and Caro's – and eventually Chris's friends too. A familiar pain grew in his chest at the thought of Chris, and Danny took a deep breath to ease it. More than ten years apart in age, Chris had driven Danny crazy during his teen years. The pesky little brother that always seemed to be following him and his friends around, tormenting them with ridiculous questions and appearing at the most inopportune moments ( _"Danny and Sarah, up in a tree,_ _KISSIN_ G…."). In the past few years though, Danny had begun spending more time with his brother, noticing Chris's sly sense of humor and keen observation of the world around him. Danny had finally begun enjoying spending time with his brother, regaling him and his friends with stories of life in the navy. Chris had even begun mentioning the possibility of enlisting himself – once he was done with college, of course. There had never been any question that the Green children were expected to finish at least a four year degree and so Chris had begun the same round of college visits that Danny had experienced at eighteen.

Danny knew how disappointed his parents had been when he elected to join the navy, rather than move on to graduate school. But they had hidden their disappointment (and fear), and had immersed themselves in learning about his new life. Danny smiled at the memory. That was his parents, supporting him in his chosen profession even though it was something that they – _a healer, a teacher_ – could not understand. Their priority had been to love and support their children. And he had never questioned their dedication. Taking it for granted until it was gone. Just like he'd done with Caroline.

Danny stared into the growing darkness. Caroline – _Caro_. Only a year apart, they had been inseparable. He had started calling her Caro to annoy her, nobody else would have dared, but over time it had become an affectionate nickname between the two of them. Brilliant, independent and stubborn, Caro had always known exactly who she was. He had been both baffled and awed by her ability to make a decision in an instant and never second guess herself. Unlike Danny, Caro had decided on her career path as a nurse at the tender age of four and never wavered. While his parents had spent months touring colleges with him, trying to figure out what school "felt right" ( _how ridiculous that seemed now_ ), Caro had applied to only one. She had never questioned that she would be accepted. And yet, despite their differences, she had been his best friend. He forced her out of her studious, reserved shell, and she amused him with her wit and biting commentary. Caro had always understood him in a way that he, in retrospect, had not understood her. Not that he had thought so at the time, but after months to ponder their last conversation, he now understood how much he had hurt her, too wrapped up in his own pain to see hers.

" _How could you treat Rebecca that way?" Caro yelled as she stormed into the room where Danny had been lying, staring at the ceiling, for the last hour. "Ten years, Danny! You've been together for ten years! Doesn't that deserve something more than a 'it's me not you speech'?"_

_Danny didn't look at her, continuing to watch the planetarium on the ceiling. How old had he been when he and his father made it? Twelve maybe? He wondered why he'd never taken it down in the years since. "It's none of your business, Caro. This is between me and Rebecca."_

" _That's crap and you know it. I'm your sister. She's my best friend. I was the one that asked her out for you the first time, remember? You've never even bought her a birthday present without running it by me first. Last I heard you were planning a trip to Niagara and talking about rings! And now suddenly you're dumping her? What the hell happened?" Caro paused and narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you do something stupid?"_

_Danny sat up, sighing. He wasn't ready for a debate with Caro. He was still too raw from the conversation with Rebecca. Of course Caro would assume that it was his fault. Everyone knew that Rebecca was crazy about him. That she was dedicated to their future. She would never do something "stupid." Hell, she probably would have forgiven him if he had cheated on her, as Caro was insinuating. "Nothing happened. She wants to get married – have kids. I'm not ready for any of that. I'm not sure that I'll ever be ready for that." He tripped over the words. It was the truth, but not the whole truth. How could he explain to Caro something that he didn't really understand himself? That it just didn't feel right?_

" _That's crap and you know it." Carol snapped. "Of course Rebecca wants to get married, but she'd understand if you wanted to wait. Now that she's done with school you could live together a while. Get used to each other again. Ease into the transition."_

" _And what if I don't want to? What if I don't want to be with her anymore?" The words spilling out before he could stop them. "Doesn't she deserve better than that? Don't I deserve better? We started dating at seventeen, Caro. I'm not the same person anymore. She's not the same person. We both need to move on."_

_But Caro pushed away the words as though she hadn't heard them. "You're scared, aren't you? She told me that she was hoping that you would leave the navy once this enlistment was up. Get a civilian job, come back to Connecticut, have a normal life. That scared the crap out of you, didn't it? Scared that you might not be the hero anymore? That you would no longer be the amazing Danny Green, off single-handedly fighting the evil dictators of the world!"_

_Danny stared at her, taken aback by her anger. He had thought Caro understood. It wasn't about being a hero. It was about building his own life, something apart from his family, something away from this town. About being part of a team. It was even about helping people. Different than the way Caro helped people, of course, but his way of giving back. Still, the barb stung. As Caro had known that it would. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean? Who are you or Rebecca or anyone else to tell me how to live my life? Am I supposed to marry her just because you and Mom and Dad and everyone else in this crap town thinks I should?"_

" _Well someone needs to tell you what to do. Have you ever made one decision on your own? Even when we were kids you could never make up your mind. Isn't that why you joined the navy? To have someone else tell you what to do?" Caro held his gaze. "I bet Frankie is behind this. He's always had it out for Rebecca."_

" _Frankie had nothing to do with this." Danny snapped back, even though they both knew it wasn't true. "This is me, Caro. This is what I want. And nothing you say is going to change my mind."_

 _Her anger suddenly disappearing, Caro dashed a hand across her cheek to knock away a tear._ " _You didn't even tell me, Danny. I didn't find out until I called Rebecca to make plans for tonight. She assumed I knew, and was pissed that I didn't warn her. I had to find out from Dad what she was talking about."_

_And suddenly he understood. This wasn't just about him and Rebecca. This was about him and Caro, his sister, his best friend, his sounding board. "Caro…" The silence stretched as he tried to find the words to say. But the moment was lost._

_Yanking open the door, Caro paused for a moment to look back. "You are an idiot, Daniel Joshua Green. Go back to the navy, your ship. Go play war hero. But someday you are going to look back at today and regret it with every fiber of your being."_

Danny's hand bit into the rail. Caro had been right, as usual. Not in the way she had meant it, of course, but she had still been right. It had been the last time that he spoke to her. Hurt and angry, he'd left that evening to return to Norfolk, arriving just in time to join Frankie and Smith for a last minute trip to the Bahamas. He'd talked to his parents and Christopher in the next few months, but he and Caro had maintained an icy silence. And he regretted that more than anything else in his life.

"I thought you might be here." Kara's calm voice broke through his thoughts….


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Kara stepped carefully out onto the deck, making sure that both feet were firmly planted before easing the door shut. The water was getting choppier as late fall arrived in New England, bringing with it storm season, and the last thing she wanted to do was face-plant into the floor.

The last time she remembered feeling this gangly was as a sophomore in high school. She had hit a growth spurt in the middle of basketball season, spurting up more than two inches, and her sudden inability to make it down the court without tripping had taken her from starter to bench warmer. She wasn't going to give Captain Chandler (or Danny) any reason to kick her off the ship.

Kara picked her way across the deck, headed to the bow. It had been more than two months since they left St. Louis. They had remained at the gateway city for only three weeks – just long enough to patch the hull, reload the weapons, and get Dr. Scott through the worst of her recovery. Although there had been some definite benefits to the layover (real beds came to mind), the destruction that the virus had caused had become starkly real as they had traveled through the surrounding area, split into various teams to spread the cure as widely as possible. There had been days when they didn't find a single survivor. Pollard Kansas, where Kara had grown up, had been decimated. But then there had been moments when it was all worth it. At Prairie City, fifty miles north of Pollard, the quarantine had held. In that moment – seeing a city filed with thousands of people, children, surviving together, working together – she had caught a glimpse of what their future might be like – she, Danny and their little one – once the immediacy of spreading the cure was through.

Still, Kara had been relieved to be back on board the Nathan James. Without her appreciating it, the Nathan James had started to feel like home, the crew to feel like family. Since their departure two months ago, she had lost track of the number of places that they had stopped – first down to New Orleans, then a quick trip west to Houston and Galveston, circling back around to Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and, Sarasota, before finally heading north. Now that the crew was outside of the contagious window of the cure, they had begun spreading the cure by aerosol for larger groups and individual shots, supplemented with the booster to make the recipient contagious, for the less populated areas. Rather than the six weeks that Kara had originally, naively, quoted to her mother, it had been more than four months before they had made port again at Norfolk.

The gorgeous tanzanite that she now wore on her left hand sparkled in the setting sun. Four months had been more than enough time for her mother to plan a wedding. (Kara was fairly certain that the wedding planning had begun the moment that Danny asked for her mother's blessing, no waiting for the official engagement announcement.) It had turned out that prior to the epidemic, Peter was the owner of Parlay, a French restaurant with a spectacular view of the Chesapeake Bay and an ideal venue for a wedding. O'Connor had found a generator and gotten the power going, and Peter and Bacon (who had been bribed by Danny's promise to serve as his personal trainer for a month) had turned out a spread that would have put a royal wedding to shame. Somehow her mother had even found her a dress that fit Kara perfectly – the lace folds falling from her bosom to her knees almost hiding her protruding belly. Master Chief had conducted the ceremony, and most of the crew had found their way to the reception at one point or another. Even Captain Chandler had swung by, Dr. Scott by his side, to congratulate them. It hadn't been anything like the wedding that she had dreamed about as a child. But it had been perfect.

As she reached the bow, Kara caught sight of Danny standing by the rail, his hair ruffling in the breeze, his back rigid as he stared at the approaching shore. "I thought you might be here. We should arrive at New London in a couple of hours." Kara spoke softly as she stopped next to him, turning slightly to accommodate her growing stomach. "Thinking about your family?"

He didn't respond immediately, and Kara waited. Danny spoke of his family rarely, the memories too painful. Losing Frankie had been terrible, but at least there had been certainty in what happened, and that had provided some closure. As time passed, Danny had been able to focus more and more on the happy memories – as opposed to those last horrific moments. But they both knew that there was a very real possibility that he might never know what happened to his parents and siblings – that he might never find out anything. That he might live the remainder of his life wondering how they had died, or even whether they were still alive. Kara had watched that uncertainty – worse than a death in so many ways – eat away at the XO for the last six months. And she had sensed that same tension in Danny as they approached his old stomping ground. During the time that they had spent in New York City, she knew his thoughts had turned more and more towards Connecticut and what they might find there. She could only hope that they would be able to find something – anything – to let them know what had happened.

"I was thinking about Caro." Danny admitted, his voice gravelly. "I should have called her before we left. I should have told her that no matter what had happened, that we were okay."

Kara's hand came up to rest gently on his arm. "She knew, Danny. She knew that you were just being stubborn. Not wanting to be the first to give."

"She reached out, though." Danny pulled out his phone, the only connection he had left of his family, illuminating the screen so he could look at Caro's final text. _Catch you on the flip side._ "For Caro, that was huge. Caro is – was – such a force of nature. Cruz hated her you know. She came down to Lejeune one time to visit and he did something to piss her off. I never found out what it was, but she spent the rest of the week tormenting him. He said it was like being flayed alive."

Kara arched an eyebrow at Danny. It was hard to imagine someone getting through Cruz's imperturbable exterior. Everything seemed to roll off him. Of course, Cruz, like all of them, had changed. On their second trip through New Orleans, Cruz had finally made it to his family's home, but the news had not been good. Danny and Carlton had helped him bury his parents before they left.

Danny slid the phone back into his pocket. "I should have answered her."

"So why didn't you?" Kara asked, her hand moving up and down his arm gently. "I know the fight was about Rebecca, Danny. You can tell me. It's okay. I don't care."

The last part was a lie, of course. It _was_ hard to listen to him talk about another woman, no matter how carefully he chose his words – and Danny didn't always choose his words all that carefully. She hated the idea of him smiling at another woman, the special smile that he saved just for her, the one that made her feel like the only woman in the world. She hated the idea of another woman waiting for him at the end of a deployment, jumping into his arms after the months of separation, pulling him in for a kiss. And not just any other woman – but one woman – Rebecca. He had spent _years_ with Rebecca. They had been together less than one. No, it wasn't easy. But Danny needed to talk to someone, and right now she was it. Besides, it was ridiculous to be jealous of a woman who was probably dead.

Danny entwined his fingers through Kara's, his thumb rubbing across her ring. "Talking to Caro is never easy. She has a way of getting you to admit things that you don't want to. I was afraid, I guess. Afraid that Caro would talk me into calling Rebecca, into patching things up before we left. I figured that waiting a few more months wouldn't hurt."

The words stung, even though she hadn't even met Danny at the time. Had he really gotten over Rebecca? Kara struggled to find something to say. "You have to move on, Danny. Would Caro want you to be torturing yourself like this?"

She was surprised when Danny suddenly grinned at her, laughing. She stared at him, puzzled by the sudden change in his mood. "You don't know much about siblings, Miss Only Child. Caro would _love_ to know that she got under my skin. It's been one of her favorite pastimes for the last 28 years."

"Really?" Kara asked uncertainly. The only child of two only children, she hadn't even had cousins and the love/hate dynamic that siblings displayed had always mystified her.

"You'll see in a couple of years, once we give this guy a playmate." Danny set his hand down lightly on her stomach, and in response, the baby kicked a foot – or hand or elbow. Kara really had no idea despite Rachel telling her how the baby was positioned.

Kara gaped at Danny. "I haven't even given birth to this one and you're planning _more_?"

After a quick glance around the deck, Danny leaned towards her, giving her that smile that always melted her heart, hooking his hand under her chin to tilt it up. "First a boy, to take care of his little siblings. And then a girl who looks just like her mama. After that we can talk…" Just as their lips touched, the baby jerked, head butting Danny in the stomach. Surprised by the sudden movement, Danny stepped back.

"It seems like he doesn't like that idea." Danny remarked. "Are you sure that you have another five weeks to go? There doesn't seem to be much room left in there."

Kara shook her head at him, laughing. "At least. Rachel said first babies tend to be late. And by the way, I'm still convinced that this is a girl."

Danny opened his mouth, no doubt to argue with her, but Kara motioned to the petty officer making his way down the deck towards them and took a discrete step back, making sure to put the appropriate amount of space between them. Giving her a nod, he turned towards Danny.

"Lieutenant Green, we made contact with someone in New London. She's asked for you by name."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

  
"Lieutenant Green, we made contact with someone in New London." Petty Officer Pearson stopped before Danny. "The woman asked for you by name."

A woman? Danny's heart began pounding, his chest suddenly too tight to breathe. Could it be Caro? His mother? At this point, he'd be overjoyed to learn that it was Mrs. Metevier, his third grade teacher. "Did she identify herself?"

"Lieutenant Granderson didn't say, sir, just that it was a woman." Petty Officer Pearson replied, his voice apologetic.

"Go," Kara said instantly, excitement sparkling in her eyes. He knew that she was thinking the same thing as he was – could it be his family?

"I have to go see Doctor Scott anyway to get cleared to join the land team tomorrow," Kara added. Distracted for a moment, Danny paused. He had planned to join Kara for her checkup. Not that Kara would keep it from him if something was wrong, but it was reassuring to hear that everything was going well from Dr. Scott herself. Danny had secretly been hoping that Doctor Scott (or Doc Rios or Captain Chandler or, well, anyone) would bar Kara from joining the ground teams, but he knew the likelihood of that happening was slim. Even with the reinforcements that they had found in Norfolk, the Nathan James was down another ten hands from when they left St. Louis, and they hadn't been at full capacity when they arrived. Still, it would be so much easier knowing that she was here, safe on the ship (or at least as safe as she could be).

He didn't know what he would do if he lost her – lost them. Just the thought was a kick to the gut. But he had felt the baby kicking just minutes ago, and – apart from her growing stomach – Kara didn't even seem pregnant most of the time. He had always imagined that pregnant women were constantly sick, eating things like ice cream and pickles, and falling asleep on a dime. But Kara hadn't been like that at all. If anything, she had become more focused – spending long hours in CIC training the junior COs and still finding time to meet Danny at the gym for her daily workout. Recently he had noticed that she seemed tired, though. and during the last month she had begun to waddle, something that he had mindlessly commented on one day. Even Tex had winced at that remark, noting that Danny was not going to be winning any sensitivity awards.

His focus back on Pearson's unexpected news, Danny gave Kara a quick nod, striding after the petty officer in the direction of the radio room. Ducking through the door, Danny was surprised to see the XO was present.

Alisha passed Danny the headphones. "We've made contact with a woman from New London who claims to be located in a safe zone. She wouldn't identify herself or tell us where she was but she asked a number of questions about the ship. It seemed like she was testing whether we were actually the navy."

_Damn Ramseys._

Although the XO hadn't spoken, Danny knew what he was thinking. Even in death that pair was still causing havoc in their efforts to spread the cure. New York had been the same. The Immunes' message had spread further than they originally realized, augmented by various local warlords that had used the Ramseys' misinformation for their own advancement. It had taken work, and time (time which they could hardly afford to expend given how quickly the virus continued to spread), to gain the trust of the survivors, many of who had been holed up in safe zones for months with only rumors of a cure. The idea that one existed had been too miraculous to believe, at first. "Do you think it's a ruse, sir?"

"It sounds more like she was being cautious," Slattery replied. "We're hearing reports of armed groups in the vicinity, and she asked for you by name – even knew that you were part of the mountain warfare unit. I know that you grew up near here. How many people would know that you were attached to the Nathan James?"

"I grew up about an hour north, sir. It's a small town. Pretty much everyone would have known which ship I was attached to. People used to like to write me during deployments and sometimes the elementary school would gather supplies for us as a project – toothpaste and DVDs, stuff like that." Danny replied as he slid on the headphones. Slattery nodded, a faraway look in his eyes, and Danny wondered whether the XO's children had done something similar, back in the day. Danny still found it jarring to think of the grizzled XO as a father, but very occasionally there were moments like this, moments when Danny could see a tiny glimpse of the man's life away from the ship, and how much he had lost. "See what you can find out, Green. It would be nice to have some local allies to give us the lay of the land."

"Understood, sir." Danny waited for Alisha to give him the signal. "This is Lieutenant Daniel Green on the Nathan James, hailing anyone in New London."

No response. Danny looked at Alisha. "Give it a minute…"

_"Danny?"_

For a second he was stunned to silence.

"Rebecca?"

Danny's knees felt weak and he leaned against the wall to stop himself from toppling over. Of all of the possibilities that he had considered on his walk down to the radio room, his mind spinning a mile a minute, this was not one of them. What was she doing in New London? How had she managed to survive? And if she had done it, did that mean that his family might have too?

"Danny, oh my god. I never thought that I would hear your voice again." Despite the terrible connection, it was clear that she was sobbing.  
Alisha's eyebrows rose at the surprising and uninhibited reaction.

The XO was less restrained. "What the hell, Green?"

Hand over the mouthpiece, Danny met the XO's eyes. "Rebecca Carlton. A microbiologist with Children's Hospital in Hartford. She specialized in cancer drugs for kids." Danny paused, but then admitted what was likely painfully obvious. "An ex-girlfriend."

"Where are you, Rebecca?" Danny asked, speaking back into the microphone. "Is Caro with you? My parents or Chris?" There was a moment of silence. "Rebecca? Are you still there?"

"Sorry." Her voice caught in a sob. "I just can't believe that you're alive. Recently it seemed like …. Well, nobody seems to be answering anymore. Last I heard, your mom and Chris were up north at a safe zone. They were in Vermont when the quarantines went into effect and couldn't get home. Caro and your dad had turned the house into a refuge. Caro said she might head over to memorial hospital. I haven't heard from her in a while now. Communication has been spotty."

Danny closed his eyes, hope warring with despair. If Caro had gone to the hospital…he knew that the odds were not good. The virus had spread through health professionals like a wildfire, taking the majority of them out in the first few months of the pandemic. But if his mother and Chris were in Vermont, they might still be safe. And his father. Their home in Cornwall was isolated. It was possible… He pushed the thoughts away. Right now he needed to focus. "What's your situation?"

"I'm in New London. When the quarantines were put in place, the governor set up teams of specialists in each zone. At last count there were just over 4,000 people in various places around the city. We've been taking in survivors as well, doing what we can without breaking quarantine. A couple months ago a few trucks arrived with doses of a cure, but the trucks stopped and we heard rumors that the laboratory had been destroyed. We've been rationing the last few doses for the children." Rebecca's voice broke. "Please tell me that you have more."

"We do. We have the cure. Enough for everyone," Danny replied, horrified at the idea of deciding who to give the cure to. Deciding who would live and who would die. _If he was forced to choose between Kara and the baby – how could he decide?_ "What kind of security do you have there? Any problems we should be aware of?"

"We have a few cops and state troopers left," Rebecca replied. "Eddie's here. He and his little boy. Amber didn't make it."

"I'm sorry. I know that you were close." A picture of Eddie and Amber sprang to the front of his mind. It was their wedding, two or three years ago, Danny couldn't remember exactly. A wedding that he'd attended with Rebecca, back in the day. An abnormally warm day for fall in Connecticut, the afterhours party had moved outdoors to enjoy the lingering warmth. They had all been drinking of course, and Eddie had been swinging Amber around the makeshift dance floor, oblivious to the fact that he had two left feet and was bumping into people every other steps. Their joy and love for each other had been infectious. And now Amber was dead. Mostly likely along with the vast majority of the guests that had attended the wedding that warm fall day, celebrating a marriage that would be over in only a few short years. "Any problems with gangs or warlords?"

"No, nothing of that sort," Rebecca replied. "We've heard of problems up north, though, from newer arrivals."

XO signaled him to cut off the call. "We should make land tomorrow in the early am." Danny knew that they would actually arrive late evening but didn't want to forewarn anyone that was eavesdropping on the open line. "I'll be in touch then. Be safe, Rebecca."

His mind spun from the sudden influx of information – _Rebecca was alive, Caro was probably dead, his mother and Chris somewhere in a safe zone, his father at the house._ It was all too much to process.

"Time to update the Captain." Slattery headed towards the door. "Lieutenant Granderson, have the land teams meet us in the mess at 2130."

"Aye, sir," Alisha responded, immediately heading for the door. She paused before Danny, mouthing something, but Danny's mind was too muddled to figure out what.

"Green, you coming?" Slattery snapped.

"Yes, sir." Danny fell in behind the XO, watching Alisha as she rounded the corner of the corridor, perplexed. Then it hit him. _Damn._ Alisha was going to tell Kara, of course. Kara and Alisha were best friends, even the events in Baltimore unable to shake their tight bond. And Kara would ask, as soon as she saw Alisha, hoping against all odds that it had been Caro or his mother, her experience finding her mother in Norfolk giving her more hope than he had of finding out good news. Uncertainly, he wondered how Kara would take the news that it had been Rebecca on the line. Danny had confirmed that it was an ex-girlfriend, so Alisha would be sure to share that fact, not wanting Kara to be caught off guard at a briefing. The only question was how Alisha would spin the news as she passed it along. Both Alisha and Slattery had been surprised by Rebecca's emotional response to his hail. Hell, he'd been surprised. He never remembered Rebecca being so openly demonstrative about anything, usually exuding a cool façade of calm no matter how excited or anxious she was. But he understood. It had felt like a miracle. She was alive.

Somehow she had survived the most deadly plague that their planet had ever seen. And it gave him hope, no matter how slight, that she wasn't the only one. For the first time, he had real hope that others from his past might also have survived, might have endured, might still be out there waiting for the cure to arrive.

But had Alisha understood that? Or had she perceived it as a reunion of two old lovers? Considering the conversation from Alisha's perspective, he could see how it might have seemed a little …. unusual. Thankfully Kara had never been the jealous type. There had been that one incident with Bivas, but he had never really been sure how much of that was Kara teasing him. Maybe he could catch Kara before the meeting, once he and Slattery were done with the Capitan, try to gauge her reaction to the news. He might even be able talk to her before Alisha found her. Alisha wouldn't want to bother Kara while she was with Dr. Scott, would she? Plan in hand, Danny focused his full attention on the conversation with the Captain and XO.

By the time he was done briefing the Capitan, though, it was time for the tactical team meeting and there was no opportunity for a private conversation. Heading into the mess, he grabbed the empty chair behind Kara. Leaning forward he spoke quietly to the back of her head, "Did Alisha fill you in?"

Kara nodded, but didn't turn around. Danny could feel Tex and Cruz watching them, and he wondered what Alisha had said to the rest of the team.

"Yes." Her voice was husky. "I'm sorry that you didn't get news about your family. It doesn't mean anything, though. They could still be out there."

The XO and the Captain entered the mess just then, leaving him no time to ease into the conversation. He tripped over the words. "Are you upset about, well, that it was, you know, Rebecca?"

"Don't be silly, Danny." Turning her head slightly, Kara flashed him a teasing grin. "Don't your remember? We both agree. Jealousy is a useless emotion."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Kara gazed around the room as Rachel pulled out the doppler to check the baby's heartbeat, the steady chug-chug-chug reassuring even though the baby was moving almost constantly now. This helicopter bay had witnessed some of the best, and unquestionably some of the worst, moments of her life.

Kara could recall the beginning of the vaccination trial clearly. They had all been so confident at the start, scared of course (because how could one not be scared given the destruction they had seen the virus cause) but confident in Doctor Scott and positive that the next few days would be filled with nothing worse than the Master Chief's _eclectic_ taste in music and Tex's truly terrible attempts at flirting. Even after her seizure, Kara had believed that everything would end well, convinced not only by Doctors Scott and Rios, but also by Commander Garnett's reassurance. Maya's death, while terrifying, could be explained as a tragic accident. No, it was only when Danny appeared by her bedside that Kara had known that she was going to die. Not just because the Captain had allowed the visit (although that might have been enough given how angry he had been at both of them only the week prior), but because of the way Danny's voice had quivered as he spoke, the way his hand trembled in hers, and the tears that he had struggled not to shed before her. At that moment, she had known that it was the end and she would have given anything for one more moment alone with him, one more smile, one more chance to hold his hand without a hazmat suit, one more kiss. She had gone to sleep certain that this was the last time she would see his face. When she had woken up, it had been a shock to discover that she was still alive, that she might not die, that the cure might work. And following immediately on the realization that she was going to live, came the earth shattering news that she was pregnant. A pandemonium of emotions had washed through her. First shock. After all, they had been careful – most of the time. Then joy. Joy that, for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime, something wonderful had happened. Then fear. Fear that she had harmed this little life before it had even begun. And finally guilt. Guilt that she hadn't known, that she hadn't been paying enough attention to realize the obvious. The guilt had never really left, as Kara continued to wonder whether the virus had harmed the baby in some way that she would learn only after the birth.

"120 over 72," Rachel announced, drawing Kara back to the present as Rachel put the blood pressure cuff away. "And the baby sounds as energetic as usual. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Kara began to give her usual answer but then stopped, seeing the measured look that Rachel was giving her. "I'm tired. And big. I can't see my toes anymore. And even the maternity shirts that I found in St. Louis are getting too small."

"You've managed this pregnancy extraordinarily well, Kara, but you should really start thinking about tapering down on your duties. The last month is the hardest," Rachel paused. "Not that I have personal experience, of course, but that's what I've been told."

"I'm still cleared for now, though, right?" Kara asked, slightly panicky. She wasn't ready for this. Nine months had seemed like such a long time – more than enough to spread the cure and head home to Norfolk to help with the ground efforts. But there was still so much to do. How could she leave now? She so badly wanted, no she needed, to be there for Danny now that they were so close to his home.

Rachel leaned over to touch Kara's hand, a sympathetic look on her face. "I know you want to do as much as you can to help the crew, Kara, but you need to start focusing on becoming a mother. Given how slowly we are moving, there's already a chance that this baby will arrive before we get back to Norfolk. I don't want to do anything to put you into labor early."  
"The Captain wouldn't be happy about that," Kara murmured, catching the quick smirk that crossed Rachel's face. Kara knew that she had Rachel to thank for convincing Captain Chandler to keep her on board upon their last departure from Norfolk.

" _You wanted to see me, sir?" Kara asked as she stepped into Captain Chandler's office. Outside the remainder of the crew was bustling around, loading supplies for the ship's departure from Norfolk that evening._ _"_

_Please come in, Lieutenant. Close the door behind you. Sit." Kara did as requested, knowing the invitation did not bode well for her continued presence on this ship. "I assume that I can continue to refer to you as Lieutenant Foster?"_

_"Of course, sir." Kara could imagine the confusion of having two Lieutenant Greens on board._

_"Good. I wanted to talk to you about your physical condition. I've spoken to Doctor Scott, who assures me that you are fit for duty." From the way that Captain Chandler spoke, Kara suspected that there had been much more to that conversation than the Captain was letting on. Over time, there had been ever more signs the Captain and Doctor Scott had passed from colleagues to something more. Nothing overt, but sometimes the small things were more telling. "I'm not sure if you are aware, but my son was born early. At twenty-eight weeks. He spent the first few months in the hospital. It was touch and go there for a long time."_

_"That must have been very difficult, sir." Kara responded after a moment. She hadn't been aware that Sam was a preemie. And only twenty-eight weeks. She was thirty weeks and nowhere near ready for this baby to arrive. "He seems very healthy now."_

_"It was and he is, thankfully. We were fortunate to have access to some of the best healthcare in the world and a top-notched NICU. Healthcare not available on a destroyer." Kara met the Captain's gaze. He was explaining himself, she knew, explaining why he was going to put her on "administrative" duty in Norfolk, whatever that might mean now. So she was taken aback when the Captain continued, a slight twist of his lip._

_"Of course, the hospital where Sam was born isn't operational anymore. And the few that are operational have devoted most of the staff to fighting the virus and distributing the cure. In fact, Doctor Scott has persuasively argued that you are likely to receive the best healthcare possible right here, from her."_

_It took Kara a moment to recover. Was the Captain allowing her to stay on the ship after all? "I agree, sir. I – we – could not be in better hands."_

_"It's settled then," Captain Chandler said firmly. "I anticipate that we will return to Norfolk in about six weeks, at which time you'll be released from your duties. Given the risk that you may be delivering on board, however, I have asked Doctor Scott to obtain any equipment that she might need, under the circumstances."_

_"Thank you sir." Kara choked out, hoping that her voice had not betrayed her completely. She owed Rachel more than she could express for convincing the Captain to allow her to stay._

_"One more thing Lieutenant," the Captain added as Kara began to rise._

_"Yes, sir."_

_"Military regulations support the unification of married couples on deployment when feasible. I think that there is a reasonable argument that our current situation constitutes a deployment. I've spoken to Tex and he's willing to relocate if you and Lieutenant Green would like to bunk together." The Captain paused and raised an eyebrow at her. "It is completely voluntarily, of course. I've been told that Green snores. Badly."_

Kara smiled at the memory. Danny did snore. Badly. And it had taken some time to get used to sleeping in the same room as Halsey. But the other benefits more than made up for those inconveniences.

Rachel winked at her. "Captain Chandler is much more bark than bite."

"I'm pretty sure that 188 of the 189 people on board this ship would disagree with you," Kara teased back.

Just then Alisha popped into the bay, surprising them both. Alisha and Rachel were not close, so her presence was unexpected. "Am I interrupting?"

"No, of course not, we are just finishing," Rachel responded. "What can I do for you Lieutenant Granderson?"

"We made contact with someone in New London, ma'am," Alisha responded, glancing meaningfully at Kara. "A woman named Rebecca Carlton, a microbiologist, I believe. The XO is requesting both of your presence in the mess at 2130 to go over the landing procedure tomorrow."

Kara felt her breath catch. Rebecca Carlton? Could that be Danny's Rebecca? She didn't remember ever hearing her last name.

"Of course." Rachel placed the bag with the prenatal equipment back on the cabinet. "I would love to speak to this Miss Carlton myself, if possible, to determine what we are facing here in New London."

Pulling herself together, Kara asked as calmly as she could, "Did she have any news of Danny's family?"

Alisha shook her head, giving Kara another telling look. "From what I gathered, they were in a different quarantine zone. She did seem to know all of them pretty well, though. She and Danny were talking a lot of names and she was sobbing over the radio. Kind of the way the XO's wife did when we made contact in the arctic. Danny said she was an ex-girlfriend."

Kara's heart sank. So it was _that_ Rebecca.

"Well, I imagine that Lieutenant Green has a few of those kicking around, given his age and appearance," Rachel commented dryly. "Actually, I would be far more surprised if you said that Lieutenant Green had never had a girlfriend. Miller on the other hand…"

Alisha laughed. "You're right, ma'am. I can't imagine any woman voluntarily going on more than one date with Miller."

Kara smiled, but couldn't quite manage a laugh. Somehow in a world filled with the dead and dying, they had managed to run into the last person in the world that she wanted to see right now. Kara avoided Rachel's concerned glance as she stood. "Should we be going?"

Kara twisted her ring as she trailed after Rachel and Alisha towards the mess. She knew that she was being irrational. Rachel was right, of course. It was impossible to imagine that a guy as attractive and assured as Danny wouldn't have an ex-girlfriend or two kicking around and, to be fair, she had her own share of ex-boyfriends. Danny had told her about Rebecca early on, back when they were still toeing the rule on fraternization, agreeing that nothing would happen until they returned to Norfolk (an agreement that had quickly been broken). Danny had wanted her to know that he wasn't playing a game, trying to sleep with every junior officer aboard the ship, and she had been glad that he wasn't the kind of guy to flit from girl to girl. From the beginning, she had known who he was – responsible, trustworthy, honorable – the kind of guy that you could marry (not that she had guessed how things would proceed during those early days back in the Arctic). Kara knew that Danny would never leave her and the baby to fend for themselves, that he would never break his wedding vows. _So why did Rebecca bother her so much?_

The question echoed through her head until it hit her. Rebecca was the last connection the Danny had to his family, to his home. Not just from ten years of dating, but from growing up in the same place, from being Caro's friend. Rebecca and Danny had known each other as toddlers (apparently they had, adorably, pretended to get married as preschoolers), they had played on the same soccer teams as children, gone to the same football games as teens, graduated from the same high school, visited each other at college and then through Danny's various duty assignments, they had known each other's friends, had attended the same weddings and funerals, and spent holidays together. Those shared memories of times vanished, of people lost, bound them together. Danny could, and had, told Kara stories of his home and family, but Rebecca had lived those stories. She knew those places and people. She remembered them. She filled a place in Danny's life, in Danny's memories, that Kara never could. And Kara hated that.

As awareness struck, Kara was horrified with herself. She knew how important it was for Danny to talk about his family and friends from Cornwall, to prepare himself for what he might find. Frankie's death had devastated him, but Kara had seen how much it helped him to trade stories about Frankie with Burk and Cruz, allowing him to focus on the happy moments that they had shared together. It had allowed him to heal a little. And if talking to Rebecca could help Danny through the tough moments in the days ahead, give him an opportunity to reminisce about the good times, maybe even find some closure (depending on what they found in Cornwall), how could she stand in the way? She couldn't. She could not take this opportunity to mourn a world that had been lost away from him. She would just have to pretend that the news about Rebecca didn't bother her. She could not let Danny know how she felt.

Kara had been settled in the mess for a few minutes when Danny arrived, just before the XO and the Captain. Snagging the seat behind her, she could feel his breath on the back of her neck as he leaned forward and spoke softly, for her ears only. "Did Alisha fill you in?"

"Yes." Kara didn't turn around, aware of the eyes on them. This was not the time for a private conversation. "I'm sorry that you didn't get news about your family. It doesn't mean anything, though. They could still be out there."

"Are you upset about, well, that it was, you know, Rebecca?"

Danny sounded so hesitant that she couldn't help but smile. It was the same voice he used when he knew that she was upset about something but he wasn't sure what to do or say. Like the time he had laughed at her as she struggled to hitch her belt buckle, or the time that Halsey had somehow gotten hold of her toothbrush (the one time that she had seriously considered moving back in with Alisha).

"Don't be silly, Danny." Turning her head slightly, Kara flashed him a teasing grin. "Don't your remember? We agreed. Jealousy is a useless emotion."

 


	5. Chapter 5

After twenty minutes spent confirming that there were, in fact, no chocolate chip cookies on board and Kara having settled for one of Bacon's pumpkin scones, Danny followed his wife down the pathway towards their cabin, uncertain of her mood. She didn't seem upset, exactly, just quiet. Still, he wasn't insensible enough to believe that Kara was really as calm as she was acting about the unexpected reappearance of his ex-girlfriend. He wished he could have seen her face earlier when he asked her about Rebecca. Talking to her back in a mess full of sailors didn't make for the most informative conversation.

Swinging the door shut behind him, he watched Kara pull off her jacket and begin to unpin her hair. Once her regular uniforms had been stretched to their limit, she had taken to wearing her pants hitched with an elastic band below her belly, together with several long navy blue maternity shirts that she had found at a store near St. Louis. The cameo jacket was a more recent find, from Norfolk. It was a size extra-large, designed for a man much taller than Kara, but she had hemmed the bottom and tucked the sleeves well enough to pass inspection. It had surprised him to learn that she could sew. Apparently it was a skill – along with shooting cans off posts – that was mandatory when growing up in Pollard, Kansas.

"You doing okay?" Danny asked, glancing at her tentatively as he unlaced his boots. "How was the checkup with Doctor Scott?"

"Just tired." Kara responded, continuing to unbraid her hair. He loved watching her take down her hair at night, the strands pooling on her shoulders. She looked so different – softer somehow – more vulnerable. "Baby sounds perfect. Doctor Scott wants me to start transitioning my duties. She doesn't think Captain Chandler will be impressed if I go into labor in CIC."

"No, I imagine not. Although the XO would probably make you finish your shift before sending you to medical." Danny replied playfully. Then more seriously, treading carefully, he asked, "Did she take you off ground duty?"

"Not yet," Kara finishing brushing out her hair and pulled on her pajamas – some of his running gear that she had commandeered. "Once we leave New London, I'll speak with Captain Chandler. Kirkland's doing well in CIC. He's ready. No replacement for my spot on the ground team, unfortunately, so you'll just be down another hand."

"Hey," Danny responded, stepping closer and catching her chin. "You've stayed with the ship as long as you could. There's nothing more you can do. Listen to Doctor Scott."

"I knew that it was coming, but I thought that we would have gotten further by now. I hate to leave things half finished. And the timing sucks." Kara stared at him, tears suddenly appearing in her eyes as her hands rose to frame his face. "I'm sorry that you didn't get news about your family today, Danny. I was so hopeful when I heard about the radio call… But they could still be out there. With the quarantines limiting movement and communication down, they may not know we're here. They could still be okay."

Danny brushed the tears off her cheek with his thumb. "I know. Nothing has really changed. Still the same odds as before."

He lowered his head to give her a gentle kiss, so tempted to deepen it, to lose himself in Kara for at least a little while, putting aside all of the fear and apprehension. But Kara was exhausted. He could see the rings under her eyes, the weariness reflected in them. He stared down at her, beyond thankful that somehow in the middle of this apocalypse that they had found each other.

"Bedtime, sleepyhead," he teased as Kara tried, and failed, to cover up a yawn. She tilted her head to the side, still looking up at him.

"Lie down with me for a few?"

Nodding his assent, he flipped off the lights, waiting for Kara to get into the bunk before curling up to her back, tucking his arm just above her stomach. The bunks were far too narrow to actually sleep this way, especially as the baby demanded more and more room, but they could steal a few moments together before Danny moved to the top bunk.

Within moments of lying down, Kara's breathing slowed as she moved into sleep. Lying there, listening to the hum of the ship and her slow, rhythmic breathing, Danny's mind wandered back to the shocking events of the evening. Hearing Rebecca's voice had been surreal. For a second, standing there in the radio room, he had thought that he was imagining it. Despite the bad connection and how long it had been since they had spoken, he had known her voice instantly. He was astonished not only that she had survived, but that they were actually speaking, that she had heard the Nathan James' call and realized that he was on board.

When was the last time that he had seen Rebecca? Danny pushed aside the image of how she had looked on that last day, the day he had broken things off, the memory still uncomfortable. But before that…. Gradually an image formed. It had been right after Rebecca took the job at Children's Hospital. The hospital had created a new unit specializing in childhood cancer and had a number of openings working with some of the most esteemed professionals in the field. Rebecca had been desperate to land a position there, not only because it was her dream job, but also because it had been ideally located only thirty minutes from Cornwall. She had been ecstatic when she was hired, and Danny had gone up to Connecticut to join her for a welcome dinner. Between his mother, Caro and Rebecca, Danny had attended many of this type of event, and was expecting an uneventful, likely even boring, evening listening to Rebecca and her new colleagues conversing about groundbreaking research that was well outside his range of interest or understanding. The dinner had not gone as expected, however. Several times he was asked when his enlistment was up, the unspoken assumption that he and Rebecca would settle down together in Hartford once he left the navy. One of the doctors had gone so far as to give Danny his card, telling him that he knew of a number of job options for a military man of his credentials transitioning to civilian life. That dinner had been eye-opening. For years, with Rebecca busy with graduate school and internships, her life no more settled than his, it had been easy for him to ignore the divergent paths that their lives had taken. That night, for the first time he had grasped how incompatible the life that he had created for himself was with the life that Rebecca dreamed of – a life not different than the one that Danny had experienced growing up – returning to the town where she was born, marrying her childhood sweetheart, watching her children frolic in the same woods where she had once played as a child. It was a far cry from the reality of a military wife, and had been the beginning of the end for him and Rebecca.

His mind still reeling, Danny wondered how much Rebecca had changed in the almost two years that had passed since that dinner in Connecticut. Would she have moved on, found someone else? He assumed yes. Rebecca was beautiful – stunning pale skin, blue eyes flecked with gold, blond locks that fell in curls down her back. Danny wondered what it would be like to see her with another man, trying to envision it in his head, but the image wouldn't form, the idea almost unfathomable. Rebecca had always been surrounded by friends, both men and woman. When he had been overseas Rebecca had often recruited male friends to escort her to events, and Danny had never minded, his trust in Rebecca complete. Would it be different now that she was free to be with someone else?

Realizing where his train of thought had taken him, Danny was appalled. Was he really lying here next to his wife – _his pregnant wife_ – thinking about another woman? That had to be some kind of violation of his wedding vows. And it if wasn't, it should as hell be. Forcing away thoughts of Rebecca, Danny focused his mind on he and Kara’s wedding, a day that had been both heartbreaking and incredible. That morning, hanging out with the guys and Tex, all he could think about was how Frankie should have been there to sneak him a beer (Burk was far too straight-laced to defy the Master Chief's stern warning that everyone was expected to be dead sober at the ceremony). His father should have been there to help him put on his jacket and make sure that his shoes shone. His mother should have been at the door, alternatively shouting out orders to the wedding staff (because his mother could never let anything be) and wiping away tears at the idea that her firstborn was getting married. He had imagined Chris, wearing his first tuxedo, his awkwardness evident as he attempted to fit in with the older guys. And Caro. Well, Caro would have been her usual sarcastic self, amusing him with random comments and pieces of gossip in-between tormenting Frankie and Cruz for long forgotten slights. That morning, as he waited for Kara, he had realized – again – all that the virus had stolen from him and the weight of that loss had been almost paralyzing. Then he had seen Kara, finally, as she arrived with her mother. She had been radiant, unshed tears sparkling in her eyes, her hair loose and falling down her back, wearing some sort of dress that flowed around her effortlessly as she walked. And he had been flooded with a feeling of gratitude. Gratitude that they had found each other. Gratitude that she had survived the virus trial. Gratitude for their miracle baby. Gratitude for the people around them, supporting them, making this day special. The sorrow hadn't disappeared, but its edge had been dulled. He would never forget those that he had lost or might have lost. But that was the past, and standing before him was the family – the future – that he had been blessed with and he would not do anything to put that at risk.

Needing to find some way to stop the buzzing of his brain, Danny eased off the bunk, careful not to wake Kara. Her sleep had been interrupted more and more as the pregnancy progressed, between the uncomfortable bunk and the need to use the bathroom every few hours. The XO had laughingly told him that it was practice for once the baby arrived and refused to sleep for more than fifteen minutes at a time, said with a glint in his eyes suggesting that he was not kidding. As quietly as possible, Danny grabbed his shoes, slipping through the door and heading for the gym. If he couldn't quiet his mind, he would exhaust himself enough to fall into a mindless sleep for a few hours before it was time to head to shore.

"And look what the cat dragged in," Tex drawled as Danny walked into the gym. "Kara kick you out? Heaven knows how she deals with the snoring."

Danny rolled his eyes at the older man. After bunking together for months Danny had grown used to Tex's terrible jokes. Sometimes they were even funny. "Kara's sleeping. At least she is for the next hour or so, until she needs to use the head. Or she wants another scone."

Tex laughed. "Ah, the good old days. Reminds me all of the reasons that it is good to be an old man. Although having a teenager is no walk in the park."

Danny didn't comment on that. A newborn was scary enough. He didn't want to think about having a teenager yet. Although Kat appeared to be a fairly well-grounded girl. She was currently aboard the Nathan James, she and Ray serving as apprentices. The Captain had suggested the program as a way of training new personnel, and it had also, handily, allowed Tex to keep his daughter close and alleviated the risk that Tex would leave the ship. Tex went back to the treadmill as Danny headed towards the punching bag.

"So I heard a rumor this evening," Tex said several minutes later, breaking the silence. "It's about you. Want to hear it?"

Danny focused on controlling his breathing as he socked the bag again. "Does it matter if I say no?"

Tex barked a laugh. "You know me – no good at keeping a secret." The two men exchanged a glance. "I heard a rumor that there was a woman crying over you and her initials were _not_ KFG."

"Alisha tell you that, did she?" Danny responded dryly. Not that he was surprised. Nothing stayed a secret for very long on the Nathan James, as Danny was well aware from past indiscretions. Besides, he had seen the inquisitive glances in the briefing when the XO had relayed the information they had received from Danny's "friend."

"Cruz, actually. Claims that it's an ex-girlfriend of yours. Pretty too, he said." Tex paused. "Surprised me, actually. Never saw you going for a scientist type."

"It's none of your business, you know," Danny retorted, knowing that it wouldn't make a bit of difference.

"Never is," Tex retorted with a grin. "But a man has to hope. So far I'm batting a zero on the Nathan James, maybe this is the woman for me..."

Danny couldn't help but laugh. Tex did have a way of lightening the mood. "Go forth and conquer my friend." Danny moved on to the weights. "I went to high school with Rebecca. We dated for a few years and moved on. It's ancient history."

"That's what I figured," Tex responded, giving Danny a wink as he grabbed his towel and heading for the door. "Now Miller owes me $20 bucks."


	6. Chapter 6

Danny was startled awake by his alarm at 0530. Quickly silencing the noise, he rolled to his side, the confusion and uncertainty brought on by the events of the preceding day flooding his brain. _New London – the radio call – Caro at the hospital? – his dad in Cornwall – Chris and his mother up north – Rebecca alive_. Ruthlessly he pushed the pandemonium aside, to be dealt with later, once the mission to New London was complete. He had let his emotions jeopardize the mission once, in Gitmo, and he would not let that happen again.

Swiftly dressing and gathering his gear, Danny paused a moment at the open locker before sliding on his wedding ring. He had never before worn it in the field, too aware of soldiers who had lost fingers when their rings became caught. Today, though, he did not want there to be any doubt of where his loyalties lay – to Kara, to the Nathan James, to this crew, to his team, and to their mission. He would not allow the ghosts of the past to threaten all that he – all that they – had built in the last year.

Kara rustled in her bunk, sleepily propping her head up on her arm. "You heading out?"

Danny nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bunk to lean over and drop a kiss on her head, resting his head on her belly for just a moment.

Kara touched his cheek gently. "Be safe out there, okay?"

"I'll see you by lunch." He replied, flashing her his trademark smile before standing and whistling for Halsey. Closing the door to the cabin behind him, Danny noticed Miller duck into a side passage. Suspicious, Danny headed in the direction of the armory, which also happened to be the direction that Miller had gone. There was no good reason for Miller to be passing through officer territory on the way from his bunk to the armory. Casually walking towards the pathway where he'd seen Miller duck, Danny turned abruptly, pinning the younger man with his eyes.

"Miller. Fancy meeting you here." Danny watched as the color rolled across Miller's face. "Seems like a rather roundabout way to get to the armory."

"Yes sir, I mean, no sir, I mean, I wondered if you needed any help sir." Danny's eyebrows rose at Miller's rambling excuses, suspicion growing into certainty as he recalled Tex's comment from the night before.

"Sure. You can be my pack mule." Danny replied, shoving his vest towards Miller before turning to stride down the pathway.

In a matter of minutes Danny, and a trailing Miller, reached their destination. Tex, Cruz, Burk and Wolf were already there, Dennis and Rowler not yet in sight. Grabbing Miller's jacket by the neck, Danny halted the now clearly panicking Miller. "I understand that you owe Tex twenty bucks. You owe anyone else money?"

Tex snorted in their direction. "Told you that you'd get caught, Miller."

Danny scanned the remainder of the room, ignoring Burk since he couldn't imagine the Lieutenant encouraging Miller to do something so patently stupid as spy on an officer.

"Owes me forty," Cruz admitted. "Told Miller that nothing rattles Mrs. G. That woman is a cool operator."

Danny turned to the final member of the team, Wolf, who threw up his hands. "Don't look at me. I never engage in bets about people who might shoot me. Besides, winning a bet with Miller is kind of like taking candy from a baby."

"Better get moving, Miller. I understand that Commander Garnett has a number of boxes that need to be transferred to shore today. I'm sure that she'll appreciate your help." Danny cuffed Miller on the back of the head as he headed towards Burk to gather his gear, smiling in satisfaction as he heard Miller groan. Served him right. Danny was surprised when Cruz stepped in his path.

"Rebecca have any news about Caroline?" Cruz's voice was steady, but he didn't quite meet Danny's eyes. Cruz had been struggling since New Orleans, the discovery of his family's death shaking him deeply. Always the quiet observer, recently Cruz had seemed more and more removed from those around him and Danny had begun to wonder if he was experiencing some form of PTSD. Once this part of the mission was done and they were headed back towards Norfolk, Danny resolved to talk to the Captain about it.

"Nothing recent. Not since communications went down." Danny paused. "You sure you want on the advance team this week? You know that Caro will rip you a new one over something within five minutes of seeing you. Never pays to piss off a Green."

A reluctant chuckle escaped Cruz and his eyes met Danny's, amusement flashing. "You think that's funny? Just imagine what she has waiting for you after a year and a half. Chances are she won't even notice me she'll be so busy laying into you."

Danny just smiled. He would take a scolding from Caro every day for the rest of his life if the tradeoff was seeing her again.

It was another two hours before they were finally in the rhib, headed towards the harbor, their landing routine almost automated after having made port in so many cities. After securing the dock and greeting any parties that had made prior contact, the advance team (Green, Burk, Tex, Cruz, Wolfe and Miller) would locate a command area close to the harbor or in a building near a hospital or safe zone. After clearing the chosen building and establishing security, the second group would arrive, consisting of the search teams that would spread through the city to locate and assist survivors, as well as either the XO or the Captain. Recently it had been the XO joining them more often than not, as the Captain focused more on the efforts to locate additional soldiers and sailors and expand the fleet. Last month the Captain had been successful in relaunching the USS Kidd out of San Diego, with the goal of spreading the cure along the western states up to Alaska, and eventually crossing the Pacific. Danny expected that Wolf would soon be requesting a transfer to the Kidd, the first step towards returning home to Australia. It would be hard to see him leave, the Aussie having become a vital member of the team.

Once the ground operation was in swing, Doctors Scott, Rios, and Milowky, as well as Bertrise would arrive to provide medical assistance as required. Kara would be with the final group to come to shore, joining Commander Garnett and her team, who were in charge of establishing communications and power at the temporary command center as the majority of operations moved from the ship to the shore. Kara's ground role had become twofold, coordinating the movements of the ground teams with the assistance of Alisha and Val, and providing a helping hand to Doctor Scott as needed. By the end of the day, the Nathan James would hold only a skeleton crew, under the command of the Master Chief, as even the kitchen staff was moved to the new command center.

"Movement on the dock." Burk tapped his microphone as he spoke, advising the Nathan James of the change in condition, and motioning to Dennis to slow the rhib.

Danny checked his watch – 0730. The meeting was scheduled for 0800, but Rebecca might be early. Or it could be someone else entirely. Grabbing the binoculars, Danny scanned the individuals that he could now clearly see clustered around several vehicles at the harbor. Rebecca's profile swam into focus. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she was wearing jeans and a long sleeved black shirt, talking in an animated fashion to the man next to her. She was too far away to see her face, but there was no doubt that it was her. Passing the binoculars to Cruz, he spoke. "Friendly confirmed."

"Do we have a second confirmation?" Kara's composed voice sounded in his ear.

"Friendly confirmed," Cruz responded.

Burk spoke as Dennis powered the rhib back up. "Cobra to Mother, one minute to objective."

As they approached the dock, the waiting group disbursed, heading in their direction. There were six of them, including Rebecca, all dressed casually in jeans and shirts, with gas masks hanging around their necks. Everything looked slightly grimy, as though it had been some time since anything had been washed. Rebecca was standing next to the man that she had been talking with earlier, his hand on her shoulder as though he was holding her in place. None of them appeared to be armed with more than a pistol. Swinging onto the walkway, Danny kept his weapon lowered and his hands in plain view so as not to spook the group before him. Behind him he could hear Burk, Wolfe and Cruz clambering from the rhib, the others remaining behind for now in case they needed to make an unexpectedly rapid departure. As they had learned from painful experience, this was the moment when things were most likely to go wrong.

"I'm Lieutenant Green from the Nathan James. With me are Lieutenants Burk and Foster, and Petty Officer Cruz. I spoke with Rebecca Carlton this morning to arrange this meeting. We are here to provide you with the cure to the red flu." He spoke firmly, calmly, as he moved forward. Scanning the group before him, he would guess that the man next to Rebecca was security of some sort. The remainder of the group looked older, more scholarly, and he pegged them as doctors or scientists.

"Danny!" Rebecca abruptly launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Automatically, he returned the embrace, giving her a bear squeeze like he had a hundred times before. It was the slight shift of her arms that brought him back to the present, as her hands moved towards his head as though to pull him in for a kiss. Grabbing her arms gently, he stepped back, releasing her hands as soon there was sufficient space between their bodies. Rebecca teetered at the sudden lack of support, but then she caught herself, the surprise and confusion he glimpsed in her eyes disappearing almost instantly as she regained her usual poise. Looking past him, her face brightened again. "And Teylor!"

Perhaps less surprised, Cruz managed to ward Rebecca off with a pat on the back. "It's good to see you, ma'am."

"I see Halsey but where's Frankie?" Rebecca asked, scanning the remainder of the men surrounding her. Danny felt a familiar ache at the sound of his friend's name.

"Halsey, come." Danny commanded, waiting for the dog to reach his shoes before speaking. "We lost Frankie a couple months back. Along with Berchem and Smith."

"Oh, Danny, I'm so sorry." He could see the glimmer of tears in her eyes and her hand came up, as though to touch him. Sidestepping her, he approached the waiting men. "Introduce us, please."

Rebecca paused, as though she was about to say something, but then she nodded and led them to the group standing by the trucks. "Gentleman, this is Doctor Stevenson, Dr. Taka, Officer Stephen Rickman with the New London police department, Doctor…"

Danny, who had been shaking hands as he walked down the line, suddenly recognized the next person in line. "Doctor Morrison, it's an honor to see you here."

The older man looked surprised, then slightly embarrassed. "Have we met?"

"You wouldn't remember me, sir." Danny grinned at him, trying to put the man at ease. "I attended your lecture series on psychiatry in children a few years ago with my sister."

"Ah, a man of my interests, I see," the doctor replied, giving Danny a warm smile.

Tex snorted. "Or he lost a bet."

Danny shot Tex a look as Rebecca finished the introductions. Tex was wrong, actually, Danny had attended the lectures with Caro voluntarily. Of course, in exchange Caro had agreed to do all of his Christmas shopping that year (Rebecca had been thrilled with whatever designer purse Caro had bought, one that had been shockingly expensive). Danny had never really understood why Caro asked him to attend such events with her. She knew that the lectures bored him to death and that he spent the vast majority of his time playing on his phone, trying not to fall asleep. Although he had always enjoyed the time after the lecture, once Caro was done asking a hundred questions. They would find some hole in the wall restaurant or bar and stay until closing time, ordering plate after plate of cheap greasy food and frosty glasses of beer. He had valued those evenings with just the two of them, so rare as they both became busier with their own lives.

After confirming the location of the hospital where Rebecca and the doctors had been working, Danny hit his microphone. "Cobra to Mother. Dock is secured. We've been advised that there are several empty hotels in immediate proximity to the hospital. Suggest establishing one as the command post."

"Roger that, Cobra. Coms check every fifteen minutes."

Danny was pulling open the door to the first vehicle when Tex pushed by, slapping him on the back. "Looks like the wedding ring was a little bit too subtle for blondie there. Good thing the XO wasn't here for that little demonstration.."

Danny ground his teeth. One of the more annoying things about Tex was his tendency to be right. But this was not the time.

Swinging himself into the Jeep next to Doctor Morrison, Danny asked, "How many patients are you currently caring for?"

"We have about two hundred patients in various stages, right now. People have been arriving more frequently in the past month. Many of them heard rumors that we had the cure. You want to save them all, but we had to prioritize." The man's voice broke. _Prioritize._ For the briefest moment, Danny could hear Granderson's voice as she explained her priorities – _the brightest, the most educated, the most useful to Amy Granderson's vision of the future_. But the doctor was not done. "First the children, of course. And then the people that had only been recently exposed, who were the most likely to survive. The hardest part has been deciding where to draw the line beyond which we couldn't potentially waste the dose. Those too sick or too elderly."

_Triage_. They had been sorting and prioritizing the lives to save. As every doctor was taught to do in a mass trauma situation – he recalled his mother attending lectures and participating in emergency drills – but a situation that seemed so incomprehensible when talking about civilians, about children. If his mother or Caro were still alive, had they also been forced to make such haunting decisions?

"After we make the decision, we separated them, the dying from those recovering. For some of them, the guilt is too great and they have chosen not to accept the shot."

Danny recalled how sick Kara had been when he first saw her. Her face had been deathly white, the sores on her face and arm oozing, each breath labored. What would have happened if they had been here? She had been so sick – would she have been given a black band – tagged as beyond help? And if she had, would he have been willing to take the cure, to save himself, knowing that she was going to die?

"After we made contact last night, we used the last of the doses that we had available for some of the sicker patients, the ones that might not survive until morning otherwise. We still lost two. Without power, there is only so much we can do to keep them alive once their bodies begin shutting down. At least we still have morphine."

Another problem that they had not faced on the Nathan James. Even when Kara and the others had been at their sickest, there had been no shortage of equipment, medicine, or personnel focused on, above all, saving their lives. Danny put his hand down on the CDC case that he had retrieved from the rhib before they left. "Once we establish a command center, we'll begin inoculating people. And we've made a few improvements since the doses that you received that I can explain later."

It was another hour before they finishing securing the hotel that he and Burk had selected for the command post. Once complete, the team returned to the lobby where, as requested, all available personnel from the hospital were waiting. He noticed that the crowd had grown to about forty people, most of them wearing gas masks around their necks, a habit that must have become so ingrained as to be forgotten.

Clearly his throat to grab their attention, Danny jumped up on a chair as Wolf began unloading vials from their container.

"Doctor Scott and her team will be here shortly to answer any questions. In the meantime, we've made a few improvements to the cure. The new version of the cure is contagious, like a common cold." He heard the gasping and murmuring throughout the room. The disbelief. The immediate understanding of the potential that such an advancement had for the spread of the cure. "And before you ask, no, I don't know how it works. That is far above my paygrade."

Despite the serious nature of the conversation, that drew a few laughs. "The contagious cure takes about an hour to kick in. Once the remainder of the Nathan James crew arrives, we will work with you in teams to spread the cure around the city and into the local countryside. You are contagious for only five to eight days, and spreading it requires some sort of physical contact like a handshake or a hug, so it is imperative that you come into contact with as many people as possible during that time period."

Gesturing to Tex, at his left, he continued. "We have with us two different shots today. Number one is a booster for those that already received the cure. The booster is designed to make you a contagious carrier."

"Anyone ready to be stabbed head right this way," Tex joked.

"And for those that have not been previously inoculated, we have a new and improved vaccine that combines the original formula and the contagious cure. Anyone needing the full dose should see the Aussie over to the right." Danny gestured to his right where Wolf waited.

For a moment the room was still, then all but two of the people standing in front of him lined up before Wolf. Abruptly Danny realized that the gas masks weren't from forgotten habit or haunting fear. These people hadn't taken the vaccine when it arrived despite the risk that they faced every day working with the sick and the dying. They truly had prioritized every dose, at the risk of becoming infected themselves. As Tex made his way over to help Wolf, Danny's chest swelled with appreciation for all that these people had done. In the past year, he had seen the best, and the worst, of humanity. But it was moments like this, moments when he saw people working together, helping each other, coming together to survive, that gave him faith that, in the end, good would prevail. And today was especially poignant. This was his home state, Rebecca was his friend, he was the one that he led them here, to this group of people.

Today, New London had done him proud.


	7. Chapter 7

Kara took a moment to relish the breeze as she stepped out on the deck. She was enjoying the cool New England weather, especially after a summer spent sweltering in the south.

"Hi Ka…I mean Lieutenant Foster." Kara couldn't help but smile at Kat's earnest expression as she resumed her watch position. The teenager was taking her new responsibilities on the boat very seriously. Kat seemed to have a knack for fixing things and, in a couple of years, Kara could see the girl joining the engineering team. For now, though, she was shadowing various crew members to get an idea of what each job entailed. Currently she was on a watch rotation. Not the most exciting job, but at least the weather was nice and she was above-deck.

"Wasn't sure that I would see you today," Andrea Garnett remarked as Kara approached the viewpoint from which the Commander was overseeing the movement of crates packed with equipment from the Nathan James to several waiting trucks. Now that the advance team had secured a command post, it was time to move remaining operations from the ship to the shore. The XO had left with Doctor Scott and her team over an hour ago, turning the ship over to the Master Chief while the Captain dealt with presidential business. Before leaving CIC, Kara had confirmed that the XO was at the newly established command center, at which point the job of coordinating the land teams was shifted from the ship to the shore. The Nathan James had made port briefly to allow for the efficient deployment of personnel and equipment, as well as to refuel (although the Commander had been less than impressed with the quality of the fuel available, which was intended for a ferry rather than a naval destroyer), but would put back out to sea as soon as these last boxes were unloaded. Since Baltimore, the Nathan James had adopted a policy of docking for the least amount of time possible, and allowing visitors on board only in the most unique circumstances.

"This will probably be the last time," Kara admitted. "Time to start transitioning my duties."

Andrea smiled at her. "You've stayed out to sea longer than any other pregnant sailor in the history of the US Navy. Quite the accomplishment, if you ask me. I was riding a desk at nine weeks."

"There's still so much to do," Kara sighed. "This little one didn't exactly pick the best time to arrive."

Andrea barked out a laugh. "Babies never do. Bill and I were married for more than ten years before we had Lily. I remember the day that we decided it was time for a child. We had been married for a couple of years, and I was turning thirty. We had it all planned out. And then nothing happened. I figured that maybe it wasn't meant to be. I had just re-upped again and bam, after eight years of nothing, I got pregnant." Andrea paused and Kara reached out to squeeze the Commander's hand, knowing how much the woman missed her daughter. "My little miracle, I used to call her."

"It just feels so final," Kara admitted. "The idea of going home to Norfolk and watching the Nathan James head back out to sea without me. I know that's the life of a navy wife, but I never really thought about what it would be like, being the one staying home, I mean. Danny might not be back for months after the baby is born." _Or at all_ , Kara added silently, unable to say the words out loud, as though doing so would somehow turn them into fact. "I keep wondering what I am going to do at Norfolk with a baby. I've never even babysat."

"Your mom will be there, won't she?" Andrea responded.

Kara gazed over the dock as she collected her thoughts. She loved her mother, of course, but the woman was not exactly reliable. The accident that took Kara's father's life before she was born had shattered Debbie Foster, and pushed her into a twenty-five year spiral of depression and alcoholism. As a young child, Kara had been fortunate enough to have her grandfather around to make sure that the cabinets were full, the bills were paid, and that Kara had shoes that fit. Some of her best memories were of the days that her papa would wake her up at the crack of dawn to take her hunting or fishing, not realizing until she was older that he had done so in an effort to shield her from the worst of her mother's excesses. Debbie had turned over a new leaf in Norfolk with the help of Peter's stabilizing presence, but Kara could not help but remain somewhat skeptical of the abrupt change, and fearful that it was only a matter of time before her mother relapsed, leaving Kara to take care of them all.

"She will," Kara acknowledged. "But she has a lot of responsibilities as a newly elected member of the Norfolk city council. She and Peter have been working to spread the cure to the folks in the rural areas of Virginia and North Carolina. Last time I spoke with her, she was figuring out the best way to reach Kentucky."

"You'll figure it out, Kara. You're a strong woman. And things won't always be like this. Most of us have been aboard the Nathan James for almost a year straight and people are burned out." Andrea shook her head. "The Captain knows it. That's why he's been working so hard trying to find replacement personnel. With the Kidd staffed, he's hoping to find enough crew to man the Haule. With two ships on the Atlantic, you and Danny might be able to rotate deployments, taking turns staying in Norfolk with the baby."

Kara considered that idea for a moment. Truthfully, she had never thought that far into the future, to a world where the Nathan James was not the totality of the United States Navy. The idea of returning to a ship, doing the job that she was trained to do and to do well, even at some unknown future date, was alluring. But could she leave a baby – a child – behind for months at a time? Could she and Danny survive back-to-back deployments, rarely seeking each other for more than a few days at a time? Would Danny even be willing to stay home, alone, with a child?

"How did you manage it?" Kara finally responded. "You and Bill?"

Andrea gave her a considering look. "It wasn't easy, of course. The first time I shipped out after Lily was born, I cried myself to sleep for a week. But I had a career that I loved – one that I was, that I am, good at. I wanted my daughter to see that. I wanted to be a role model for her. For me, the best way for me to do that was to stay in the navy. I was lucky too. Bill was only a few years out from retirement, so we didn't have to juggle for that long. It's not something you need to decide now, Kara, but think about it. If, at any point, you want to come back, there will always be a place for you here."

"Thank you," Kara whispered, feeling teary. It helped a little knowing that the Commander understood how displaced she was feeling, how vulnerable. Andrea smiled, squeezing Kara's hand for a moment before turning her attention back to the job before her.

Loading the pallets took longer than anticipated, and it was almost 1400 before they arrived at the new command site.

Kara was surprised when Miller appeared by the truck. "Let me help you with those, ma'am." Gathering the laptop that she had brought with her, she wondered what Miller had done to get himself assigned to Commander Garnett's detail. Miller seemed to be perpetually in trouble with either Danny, Carlton or the XO.

"Lieutenant Foster." Kara heard the XO's gravelly voice the moment she entered the room. He was standing before a table filled with maps, Danny, Alisha, and Carlton with him, as well as a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair who looked to be in his mid-forties and a younger blond woman. Presumably these were their location liaisons. "At last. It took you so long to arrive that I thought you must have decided to walk."

"Sorry, sir." Kara replied. "We had some difficulties with the pallets. Commander Garnett should have the power on within the hour."

"Lieutenant Foster, please meet Officer Rickman with the Connecticut National Guard and Rebecca Carlton who, as you know, has been our primary point of contact here in New London," Slattery explained.

"Officer Rickman, Miss Carlton." Kara nodded, hoping that the XO hadn't noticed the slight hesitation before she responded. _Damn_. This was awkward. It hadn't occurred to her that she might have to work _with_ Rebecca.

"And your role is …." Officer Rickman's voice faded out. Kara barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. He was clearly one of _those_ men, the ones that thought that a woman, especially a pregnant woman, had no business in the military. Kara felt, more than saw, Danny's posture change almost unperceptively.

"I'm the tactical action officer on the Nathan James. I'll coordinate any air or other support that you require. We are here to assist you, sir." Kara spoke as neutrally as possible but she knew a little bit of sarcasm must have crept in when Alisha started to cough, likely covering up a snort.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Foster," Rebecca replied quickly, extending her hand without hesitation. Rickman winced and Kara wondered if the other woman had just kicked him under the table. Kara shook the hand extended to her firmly. Well that answered her first question. Either this woman was the best actress in the world or, more likely, she had no idea who Kara was.

Noting the various maps before them, Kara spoke. "Have you settled on inland locations yet?"

The goal at each port was to arrange for the newly contagious civilians, supported by accompanying navy personnel, to visit as many locations inland as possible, creating a daisy-chain spreading the cure as widely as possible.

"I still think Hartford and Providence are our best options, moving on to Worcester and Springfield the next day, then circling back via Albany. We can hit the remainder of New England once we reach Boston." Danny moved forward, tracing the map as he spoke.

"We should be able to reach Hartford," Rickman replied. "Moving across state lines may be harder. Massachusetts had deployed the National Guard around the state borders. We can try to reach the militia, but without centralized communication, hard to know how they would react to anyone approaching."

"Anything from the UAV?" Slattery asked Kara.

Kara drew out the laptop and powered it up, sitting to allow the others to see over her back. Until the power was on and Alisha could hook up the larger screen, they would all have to squint a little. "I have the newest satellite images here, as well as the imagines the UAV sent back from the pass over Rhode Island. No apparent obstacles between here and Providence. The city actually appears to be in good shape, minimal destruction indicating no major fighting or rioting." Kara flipped through the images as she spoke. "Looks like a straight shot up the 95 for a ground visit or a short hop for a helo drop. UAV picked up some movement on the ground that appears to be small groups of survivors. No indication of numbers yet and no answer to our radio hails."

"And Hartford?" Slattery asked.

Kara switched the screen. "UAV should be doing another pass as we speak, but the satellite images from earlier today confirmed what we saw yesterday. There was definitely bombing there, mostly centered around the airport, and signs of a massive evacuation."

"The 91 is pretty clogged," Danny spoke, leaning over Kara's shoulder to flip to another screen. "There are a couple of other options – the 395 to the 9 or the 6 – but those roads are small and not a lot of room to turn around if we hit a blockage. Tough to back out a convoy."

"Do you have any idea where the safe zones were established, Miss Carlton?" Kara asked, glancing up at Rebecca. She was surprised to see Rebecca's eyes focused downward, and Kara suddenly became aware that Danny had placed his hand on her shoulder when he leaned over to switch the screens, most likely unconsciously.

"There was a minor league stadium that was being set up, as well as alternatives at a couple of the larger local high schools," Rebecca responded, her voice wavering. "Why would there be bombing?"

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Kara felt sympathetic towards the woman. Over the past few months, she had seen far too many cities ravaged both by the virus and by their human inhabitants. She had learned to distance herself from these images, looking at them from a tactical perspective, and not considering the tragedy behind the pictures. New London, while ravaged by the virus, appeared to have escaped any other unrest. Apparently this was Rebecca's first indication that other places had not been so lucky.

"Airports, especially international airports, were hot zones," Danny responded as Kara moved through the images, looking for the stadium. "The remainder of the city looks intact, although that kind of evacuation suggests there was a panic. Either there was a major outbreak of the virus or it could have been in response to the bombing. Hard to know how many survivors might be left."

"The stadium is still intact," Kara said after a few moments. "Could be a good location for a helo drop if the convey won't be able to get there."

"Do you have images of western Connecticut?" Rebecca spoke again, her voice strained. Kara felt Danny's hand tighten on her shoulder. "I'm from Cornwell, like Danny."

"Cornwall has too much tree coverage to locate individual homes, but I do have these." Pulling up the image of a field, Kara continued, "Lieutenant Green said this used to be a strawberry farm, but this is clearly corn."

"How can you tell?" Rickman asked, sounding slightly skeptical. "It just looks like a field to me. Could be overgrown."

"She's from Kanas," Burk responded, speaking for the first time. "They have a LOT of corn in Kansas."

Kara couldn't help but smile. "You can tell that this is planted because it's in rows – you can see the pattern – and the height is too uniform to be overgrowth. Also, if you compare the images between yesterday and today, you can see that there is movement in the field indicating harvesting. Someone is there growing food. That means survivors."

Kara didn't mention that she had spent a lot of time on the images of Cornwell, far more time than she had on the images of Hartford. She heard Rebecca let out a sigh, presumably in relief.

"The bigger problem is heading into Massachusetts," Kara continued, switching the screens again. "Do you see that? It's a wall. In the middle of a highway. That was definitely intentional, and changes in vehicle locations between the two satellite images mean it's manned."

"We need to establish communication with whoever is up there before we send in a convoy filled with civilians." Slattery turned to Rickman and Rebecca. "You have anyone that's arrived from Springfield or Worcester recently?"

Rebecca responded. "Eddie – Eddie Ward – came from near Springfield."

"Former marine," Danny added. "Did combat in Afghanistan. Should have some insight."

"There's a few people from Worcester in the South Bay safe zone," Rickman added. "But they're teenage punks. Probably too drunk to remember the trip here."

"I want to talk directly with anyone coming from those areas," Slattery said firmly. "Lieutenant Granderson, let's get the message out that we will be in Hartford and Providence in two days to distribute the cure. We'll reconsider heading north once we get some additional intel. Oh, and Lieutenant Foster, Doctor Scott asked for your assistance once you are done here."

Kara nodded, thankful for any reason to leave this group behind. "I'll check in with her as soon as I coordinate with Kirkland."

A few minutes later, after finishing up with Kirkland, Kara began to ask Alisha for Doctor Scott's location, but was interrupted as Rebecca appeared beside her. "I am headed to the hospital myself. I'd be happy to show you the way."

Surprised, Kara murmured her consent, wondering whether there was an ulterior motive behind the offer. As they headed across the street, Kara noticed the tactical teams were loading up a number of vehicles to take the newly contagious civilians for a tour of the city. They had almost reached the hospital before Rebecca spoke. "Sorry about Officer Rickman. He's a good man. Just a little behind the times."

Kara gave Rebecca a grudging smile. "Not the first one I've run across."

"It's kind of strange to see a pregnant woman wearing a gun." Rebecca added after a short pause. "I think this might be a first for me."

"Obviously you didn't grow up in Kansas," Kara responded wryly. "Pretty much everyone I knew back home carried. My grandfather used to joke that I could shoot before I could talk."

"Well you aren't in Kansas anymore," Rebecca joked. Then asked in the same friendly manner, "How far along are you?"

Kara picked up her pace slightly. She didn't want to earn Slattery's wrath by letting her personal feelings impact the mission, but this was beyond awkward. "Thirty-five weeks."

"I can't imagine staying on a navy ship that long." For a moment Rebecca was silent. "Do you have a plan for after the baby arrives? Is the baby's father…alive?"

Taken aback by the personal nature of the questions, Kara was considered the nicest way to tell the other woman to shove off when Rebecca spoke again. "I apologize. It's none of my business and I didn't mean to pry. We just have so many orphans here. We don't even know some of the children's last names. We found one baby barely alive, cradled in her dead mother's arms, no ID. We saved her, but how can you hope to reunite a child with any surviving family when you don't even know who they are?"

The anguish in Rebecca's voice was palpable. A lump formed in Kara's throat at the thought of that baby, her mother's last acts to try to comfort her dying child. In some ways this baby was, truly, one of the lucky ones. "My husband is on the Nathan James," Kara said softly, uncomfortable with the lie by omission but not ready to tackle the subject of what – or who – she and Rebecca had in common. "We'll stay with my mother in Norfolk until he's home."

"I'm glad that you have family," Rebecca responded as they finally arrived at the hospital. "Kids need that stability."

"I'll just go find Doctor Scott and see what she needs," Kara said, moving away from the other woman as quickly as possible. Some of her desperation must have shown when she finally located the other woman.

"Is everything okay Kara?" Rachel asked, frowning as she straighten up from the patient she was examining.

"Everything is fine," Kara replied. Then, in response to Rachel's probing look, she added, "Although I might have changed my mind about wanting to be cleared for the land team. The Nathan James sounds like heaven right about now."


	8. Chapter 8

The sun was setting by the time Cobra team returned to the command center. They had made good progress that afternoon, visiting all of the known safe houses in New London proper and arranging several meetings in nearby communities for the following day. The assistance provided by Officer Rickman's team had been instrumental, even if the man himself was on Danny's last nerve. Over the course of the afternoon Rickman's comments had grown so offensive that Danny could hear Burk grinding his teeth each time the man opened his mouth. At least Danny had made it clear that Kara was off limit.

_"Damn, that girl is about to pop. Thought the navy had rules about things like that," Rickman had remarked as Rebecca and Kara walked by, headed towards the hospital. The men were waiting by the vehicles for the medical personnel they would be escorting throughout the city, the last group to leave the command center. Distracted by the sight of the two women together, wondering what they were talking about, Danny had almost missed Rickman's next comment. "Nice ass, though, and a decent rack. I'd hit that."_

_Danny considered what the Captain would say if he shot the man. Not fatally, of course. The arm, a foot, maybe a well-placed bullet in the upper thigh… Luckily Tex wasn't so trigger happy. "I'd stop right there, buddy, unless you've got a hankering for a pavement sandwich."_

_It had only taken the officer a second to realize his mistake. "Whose toes did I step on?"_

_Danny let the silence stretch for a moment before he met Rickman's gaze. "I assume there will no further comments about my wife?"_

And there hadn't been. Just a slap on the back and a remark about how Danny was a lucky man. Then Rickman had told a series of offensive jokes and used a few colorful words that startled even Tex. Still, despite the officer's personal … shortcomings … Danny gave the man credit for keeping New London secure for the past months with only a small group of police and former military. Too often, the Nathan James had arrived to find scenes of disorder created not by the virus itself, but by the aftermath as desperate survivors fought over scarce resources, the lack of infrastructure adding to the logistical challenges in spreading the cure. New London had managed to evade that fate.

Checking in with Alisha, Danny learned that Slattery was currently briefing the Captain and would likely be tied up for another hour. He headed across the street towards the hospital cafeteria, where Bacon and his team had set up camp, allowing easy access for the crew, as well as the hospital staff and civilians located nearby. Nodding to the ensign on watch at the door to the hospital, Danny wondered uneasily where Kara was. Seeing her heading to the hospital with Rebecca earlier had been unsettling – especially since Danny hadn't told Rebecca about Kara. He reminded himself that there hadn't been an opportunity earlier to speak with Rebecca privately, and it was not the kind of conversation to have in front of either her colleagues or his team. But even in his head that sounded like a copout. He hadn't wanted to have that conversation – hoping that Rebecca would figure things out on her own. Now he'd just have to wait and see how pissed Kara was that he put her in such an awkward position.

Grabbing a roast beef sub and cup of soup, Danny was about to join Carlton and Tex when he recognized a man walking into the cafeteria, a small child perched on his shoulders. Setting down his food, he waved to the man. "Eddie?"

"Danny!" Eddie's smile was immediate as he changed directions. "I heard that you were here but didn't believe it."

Danny gave the man a tight hug, careful not to dislodge the small boy on his shoulders, who shyly buried his head in his father's hair. Eddie looked thin and tired. His eyes somber in a way that Danny had never seen before, even when Eddie returned from Afghanistan, having received a medical discharge after a land mine blew out under his Humvee. Danny had known Eddie as long as he could remember, both of them growing up in Cornwall, part of a tightknit group of boys that were always together. Caro had mockingly called them – he, Eddie, Waldron, and Tom – the four musketeers, derisively asking on more than one occasion whether they were capable of using the bathroom solo. For an instant, it felt like college days again – he and Eddie meeting up at the train station on their way to Cornwall, making plans to meet up later that night with Tom and Waldron.

"And that must be Tyler. Wow he's gotten big! Grab a seat – these are some of my guys – Burk and Tex. I'll get you some grub."

Returning to the counter, Danny waved down Bacon. "You have anything that a kid can eat?" He asked, looking dubiously at the roast beef subs. What did little kids eat anyway? Did a one year old have teeth?

Bacon chortled at the request, never caught off guard. "Grilled cheese and hot dogs. Which do you want?"

Danny shrugged, feeling completely out of his element. "Maybe one of both? Oh, and some milk or something."

"Coming right up." While he was waiting for Bacon, Danny grabbed a sub and cup of soup for Eddie, as well as a couple chocolate chip cookies that had just been put out. Gathering everything up, he headed back to the table where Eddie sat, his little boy beside him, squealing with delight as Tex played peek-a-boo with the child. No surprise there. Tex had a way of making everyone feel comfortable.

Setting the food down before Eddie, Danny admitted, "I wasn't sure what the little guy ate so I got some of everything. Figured he might not want a grinder."

Eddie chuckled as he started to cut up the hot dog. "Well, for an amateur you did pretty well. Most kids like hot dogs."

"Have to start thinking about this stuff," Danny replied. "Got one of my own on the way."

Danny watched as Tyler picked up a crayon and began doodling in a coloring book that Eddie must have brought with him. Danny had seen pictures of the newborn just before leaving for the arctic, all wrapped up in a blanket, only his tiny face visible. It was astonishing to see what a difference a year could make for a child. Instead of a helpless infant, Tyler was a little person. Is this what his baby would be like by the time he got back to Norfolk? Would he return to find a child rather than an infant?

Eddie looked up, his face surprised. "Congratulations, Green. Have to say that I'm a little surprised. I thought you were on the twenty year plan."

"Not sure there was any _plan_ involved," Tex teased, slapping Danny on the back.

Danny shook his head at the good natured ribbing. "Got hitched a couple months back too. I'll introduce you later. You'll love her. She can actually watch Blade Runner without falling asleep."

It struck Danny that he'd never introduced Kara to someone from his past before. For the first time in months, he wondered what it would have been like to take Kara home to Cornwall under normal circumstances, if the virus had never spread, if the Nathan James had returned to the same world that it left behind. Back in the arctic he had tried to imagine it – bringing her home to meet his family and friends – his first girlfriend since Rebecca. Danny suspected that it would have been an awkward visit. His parents would have gone overboard to make her feel welcome, of course, and Chris would have peppered her with questions about life on the ship, but Caro would have joined them, if at all, only out of curiosity, keeping a polite distance, unwilling to appear disloyal to Rebecca by doing anything more than tolerating Kara's presence.

"She's on the ship?" Eddie asked, eyebrows rising. "Sure that you and Howe didn't change places? Never thought that I would see the day that Mr. Navy risked screwing up his career over a women. She must be pretty special."

"She is," Danny confirmed ruefully. Waldron Howe would have laughed himself silly at the news that Danny had violated navy protocol. The ladies' man of the group, Waldron had prided himself on never bringing the same woman home twice and had made it clear that he had no intention of settling down before forty. He flirting with Caro relentlessly, amused rather than deterred by her constant set downs. If Howe had joined the navy (something that, thankfully, the man had never been interested in doing), he would have come home from each deployment with a new conquest, interpreting the fraternization policy as a challenge rather than a rule. "Have you heard from Waldron? Tom? Anyone in Cornwell?"

Eddie set his sub down, his eyes on his plate. "Nothing in months. Waldron was in Boston, last I heard. The flu spread fast and he didn't think he could get out so he was going to hole up. Tom was in Cornwall. He had a radio and would check in every couple of days, giving me an update on my parents. Then he just stopped. I figured that wasn't good news." He paused. "If you're planning a trip that way, I'd like to go. Look for my parents and maybe find out what happened."

Although the news was not unexpected, Danny felt a pit growing in his stomach. Tom losing contact, that did not bode well for conditions in Cornwall. His mood somber, Danny reached out to clasp Eddie on the shoulder. "Of course. And I'm sorry about Amber."

There was a moment of silence as Eddie composed himself. "Things you never think about, you know, when you get married. You never think about … think that something might happen. That ride here, I just kept praying, hoping that they could do something to help her, to save her. When they couldn't, I just …. Well, I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for my boy here. At least I still have him."

So Amber had been black tagged – one of the people that arrived too sick, too far gone to risk "wasting" a dose of the cure. Danny set down his sandwich, no longer hungry, an image of Amber floating through his mind. Impossible to believe that a person so happy, so full of life, was gone forever. One victim among billions of the Red Flu. It must have been awful for Rebecca, seeing one of her closest friends so sick and not being able to do anything to help her.

"It's all Amber ever wanted – to be a mother." Eddie added. "The day that Tyler was born was the happiest day of her life. I'm glad she had that."

"He looks kind of like her," Danny offered. Not for the first time, he wondered what his and Kara's baby would look like. Would it be a little blondie like him? Or have Kara's dark hair and hazel eyes?

Another sad smile crossed Eddie's face. "That he does."

After a moment, Burk spoke. "Heard you came in from Springfield?" Eddie nodded. "If you're up for it, the Captain and XO would like to talk to you – you and anyone else that arrived recently – about the situation up north. The Massachusetts border looks like a mess."

"Happy to help if I can," Eddie replied immediately. "We were a little west of there, not Springfield proper, staying with my in-laws. Not sure how much detail I can provide, though. We travelled at night, staying off the main roads to avoid attracting attention."

"How did you know there was a cure in New London?" Danny asked. Eddie shrugged.

"There had been rumors floating around for the past couple months that the navy had a cure. But it was just another rumor. There had been hundreds of them and none had been true. Then, about six weeks back, a truck arrived from Connecticut. Somehow the driver made it through the border patrol. He claimed that he had been distributing a cure, and dropped the last of his doses off in New London. It didn't make much sense to me – why would he drop off doses in New London and drive northwest with an empty truck? I figured it was nonsense."

Danny agreed with Eddie – that situation made no sense. Maybe the driver had been trying to reach family? Perhaps he'd hidden a few doses for himself and didn't want others to know?

"But then my father-in-law got sick," Eddie continued. "At first we thought that it was just a cold – we couldn't figure out how he was exposed – we hadn't seen anyone new in weeks! But within days he and my mother-in-law were dead and Amber was sick. New London was the only place that I could think of to go."

Danny and Carlton exchanged glances. The Immunes had deliberately infected people, using blankets or clothing from the deceased. Could they have been operating this far north? "What kind of border patrol are we talking?"

"Pretty strict. Boston was hit hard during the outbreak and the National Guard fell back to Worcester, establishing four different quarantine zones in Western Massachusetts. Orders were to shoot anyone trying to pass from one zone to another on sight. No exceptions. I didn't even try the southern border. I went over the Mohawk trail into New York and came back around to Connecticut. I figured the Boston boys wouldn't know about the old road up there and I was right. But man it was scary taking those turns in the dead of night with no headlights."

Danny exchanged a look with Carlton. This was exactly the kind of information that the Captain and XO needed to hear. Danny checked his watch, twenty more minutes until the briefing.

"If you could come with Burk here to the briefing in about twenty minutes, share all of that with the team, we'd appreciate it."

"Of course," Eddie responded. "Where are you off too?"

"Need to check on someone," Danny hedged, ignoring Tex's laughter.

Five minutes later, carrying several trays loaded with food, Danny stepped onto the second floor. Bacon had been only too happy to make up platters of food for Kara, Doctor Scott, and Bertrise, with some extra for anyone else on the floor. Bumping into Bertrise, Danny motioned to the food he was carrying. "Special delivery from Bacon. Can you let Lieutenant Foster and Doctor Scott know? Is Doctor Milowsky here?"

"No, he and the other doctors left a bit ago," Bertrise responded. Danny relaxed slightly. It didn't sound like Kara and Rebecca had spent the day together, at least. "Something about laboratory equipment. You'll have to ask Doctor Scott. I'll go find her."

Just as Bertrise turned to leave, Kara stepped out of another room, pulling off her gloves. Catching her eye, Danny motioned towards the food. She smiled at him.

"That smells good. I think there is an empty table in here," Kara said, stepping towards a doorway. Danny followed, setting one of the trays before the chair that Kara had chosen and flopping down next to her. Watching as Kara considered the options before her, Danny resisted the urge to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She looked adorably disheveled. "How much of the city did you get through today?"

"We're done with the city limit," Danny answered, snagging a grape tomato from her plate, popping it into his mouth. "We set a couple meetings up for tomorrow in the local towns, then it's time to push north. You and Doctor Scott going to the briefing?"

"Yes. We're in fairly good shape here…oopf!" Kara gasped as the baby rolled unexpectedly, her entire stomach shifting from one side to the other.

Laughing, Danny reached forward to pat Kara's bump. "Be nice to mama, little buddy. You have to let her eat."

"You know that isn't exactly comfortable," Kara grumbled, giving him the side eye. Still laughing, Danny leaned back in his chair, snatching another tomato. It was the soft sound from the doorway that alerted him to the fact that they weren't alone.

Rebecca stood at the doorway, a bright smile plastered across her face, one that didn't meet her eyes. "This looks delicious. I assume you don't mind if I help myself?"


	9. Chapter 9

"I need that equipment!" Doctor Milowsky repeated passionately. "If we could rebuild the Solace lab, we could produce the aerosol at five times the rate that we are now. Just imagine the progress we could make if Solace was fully operational. We could inoculate those near the port with the contagious cure while simultaneously doing two or three helo drops in a single day! We could spread the cure across Europe in weeks, then head to Africa or South America."

"What makes you so certain that this lab would have escaped the Immunes' notice?" Captain Chandler responded. Kara shifted in her chair again, unable to get comfortable, her back aching. The meeting had been long, as always, and these hotel chairs seemed particularly uncomfortable. "They managed to destroy every other CDC qualified lab that we have located. And we know that there was bombing in Hartford."

"This lab was new," Doctor Morrison, one of the doctors that they had met here at New London, explained. "It was installed only six months before the pandemic began. The hospital was still in the process of applying for certification through the CDC. It was expected to take months. The hospital wouldn't have appeared on any list of treatment centers."

"And the location is unique – a children's hospital," Rachel added. "Even if the Immunes were operating this far north, their methods have always been crude – simple destruction. Without Niels' guidance, I doubt they are well versed enough in healthcare to understand that a children's hospital might be equipped to handle exotic diseases."

Kara had known something exciting was happening when Doctor Milowsky had appeared, out of breath, and pulled Doctor Scott aside just as the briefing began. Rebuilding Solace had been his dream since the day he arrived on the Nathan James, but the Immunes' efforts to stop the spread of the cure had not been limited to missile strikes. Niels had also, conveniently, provided the Ramsey brothers and their followers with the location of every CDC qualified laboratory in the country, and the Immunes had spared no time laying waste. During Rachel's recovery in St. Louis, Doctor Milowsky had managed to cobble together enough equipment to establish a facility there capable of producing the vaccine and aerosol, but like the Nathan James, the new laboratory was hampered by the limited quantities that could be produced. Demand was constantly exceeding supply, forcing them all to rely on the contagious cure as much as possible. If the aerosol could be created in larger quantities, it would greatly accelerate the process, allowing them to rely on helicopter drops rather than being forced to put boots on the ground at each location. If there truly was undamaged equipment in Hartford, they could not afford to pass up the opportunity.

"Send the helo?" Slattery suggested. "We could do an aerosol drop at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone."

Captain Chandler shook his head. "We need to give at least twenty-four hours’ notice for an aerosol drop to get a decent size crowd. If we are going to wait that long, we might as well take advantage of the time. The 91 is jammed. Suggestions for an alternative route, Green?"

"We could go west to Bridgeport first, sir, then north, circling back east to Hartford. Fastest route would be Route 8 to the 84." Danny motioned towards Eddie Ward, who stood to the side of the room. Danny had pointed out his childhood friend to Kara earlier. "Ward came that way a couple weeks ago without incident."

"Route 7 runs through your hometown, correct?" Slattery put in.

Danny nodded. "Yes, but reaching it would take longer as we'd have to go west to Norwalk. Route 7 would put us closer to the Massachusetts border with the possibility of making contact, though."

"That's what we'll do then," Captain Chandler spoke assuredly. "Cobra team and a few local volunteers to spread the contagious cure. Plan for an overnight trip. First day hit as many towns as possible, spreading the cure and checking out the border, reaching Hartford by evening. You can load the equipment that night. We'll send out a message that you'll be at the stadium in Hartford between nine and two the day after tomorrow."

"I…" but that was all that Rachel got out before the Captain interrupted. "You are _not_ going."

"I don't intent to," Rachel said, a smirk crossing her face. "I was going to suggest that Doctor Morrison and Miss Carlton accompany Cobra. They are both from Hartford and therefore are familiar with the area and the hospital and would undoubtedly be of great assistance in locating the necessary equipment and making sure that it is packed securely and not broken. Plus, while I do agree that there is something ….appealing … about a man in a uniform, the presence of a doctor, especially one without a gun, tends to be reassuring to the local communities."

Kara bit back at snicker at the expression on Captain Chandler's face. Rachel definitely kept the man on his toes. Right now he looked like he wasn't sure whether he wanted to strangle her or kiss her breathless. It was fascinating watching the self-assured Captain fumble as he navigated this new type of relationship – one clearly outside of the usual bounds of the navy command structure.

"What she really means is that Duck Dynasty over there is going to run everyone off," Danny said, barely audibly, catching Kara's eye.

"I'd like to volunteer as well, Captain Chandler." Eddie spoke from the back of the room.

Kara felt Danny stiffen beside her. Captain Chandler must have noticed as well, cocking an eyebrow at him. "Green? Something I should know?"

For a moment there was silence as Danny and Eddie looked at each other, some kind of unspoken communication happening between the two men. Then Eddie spoke. "I had some troubles after Afghanistan. But I got help and I have my head on straight now. Only way I got through the hell of the last year."

"Happy to have you on the team, Ward," Captain Chandler said firmly, his decision immediate. Danny still didn't speak and Kara wondered what he was thinking. He had told her stories of the mischief he and his friends had gotten into back in the day, but never mentioned that Eddie was in the military. It seemed like an unusual – and concerning – omission.

A few minutes later, as the meeting broke up, Kara stood wearily. She was ready to collapse into bed but with Danny leaving early in the morning, she didn't want to fall asleep before they had a chance to talk. There were too many things unsettled at the moment, and Kara was well aware that there might not be another chance to settle them.

"Come on, I'll introduce you," Danny said quietly as the group began to disburse, directing her towards the corner. "Eddie, meet my wife, Kara. Kara, this is my buddy Eddie."

Kara smiled at the man as they shook hands. "A pleasure."

"Have to admit, Green, when you said that you had a baby on the way, I didn't realize you meant any minute," Eddie teased, smiling back at Kara. Then, more somberly, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Danny. If you don't want me on your team, I understand. No hard feelings."

Danny took a moment to reply. "I've lost a lot of guys in the last year. A lot of friends. Not sure I can lose another one right now. So no getting killed out there, okay?"

"It's a deal." The two men stared at each other for a few moments, until Eddie broke the silence. "I should go. Have to go make arrangements for Tyler for the next couple of days."

As Eddie left the room, Kara noticed that he brushed past Rebecca without a word, puzzling her. Weren't they all friends? Seeing Rebecca standing across the room alone, Kara nudged Danny. "Go talk to her. You are going to be spending the next two days with her. You need to work things out. Now. I'll take Halsey out before heading up."

When Danny hesitated, Kara gave him a soft shove. He was headed to Cornwall tomorrow and there was no telling what they would find there. Whether or not Danny realized it, he needed to resolve things with Rebecca, and it was not a discussion that he should have in front of anyone else.

_"This looks delicious. I assume you don't mind if I help myself?"_

_Kara had known the moment she saw Rebecca standing in the doorway that the other woman had connected the dots. The fake smile plastered across Rebecca’s face was in complete contrast to the easy, natural one that Kara had seen multiple times that afternoon as she and Rachel working with the other woman to attend to the now recovering patients. Next to her, Danny choked on the tomato he had just popped in his mouth._

_Apparently he had not been expected Rebecca to be here._

_"Plenty for everyone. Danny brought up half the cafeteria," Kara replied, deliberately using Danny's name versus his title, although the words felt awkward. Strange how, after months of formality on the Nathan James, she felt more comfortable referring to her husband as Lieutenant Green rather than Danny to others. "I'm eating for two, not twenty."_

_Rebecca responded with a forced laugh, placing several pickles and tomato on her plate, plainly not paying attention to what she was gathering._

_"I didn't really properly introduce the two of you earlier," Danny said finally, his voice wary. "Rebecca, this is my wife, Kara."_

_"Yes, Kara has been helping us with some of the patients," Rebecca replied. "She and Rachel have been of enormous help."_

_As soon as Rebecca had finished gathering her food (several more pickles, which Kara assumed had been tossed as soon as Rebecca realized what was actually on her plate), she had fled, the uncomfortable tension in the room evident to all of them. Kara looked at Danny, raising her eyebrow. For a man as smart as Danny, he could be shockingly clueless when it came to interpersonal relationships. "You are a lucky man."_

_Danny frowned at her, then wry amusement crossed his face. "Because I only managed to piss off one woman in the last five minutes?"_

_"Exactly," Kara replied, taking a bite from one of Bacon's delicious chocolate chip cookies._

Kara hadn't expected to like Rebecca, predisposed to see the other woman as the adversary, but she was nice. She had gone out of her way to speak with Kara and smooth over Rickman's rude words (before she knew who Kara was, obviously). She had been helpful and gracious to Doctor Scott, and it had quickly been obvious that she was well liked and respected by her colleagues and the patients at the hospital. If the circumstances had been different, Kara thought that they might have been friends. But no matter how nice Rebecca was, Kara was not thrilled that Danny was going to be spending the next two days in her company, or that Rebecca would be the person going to Cornwall with him. Kara felt a pang of regret. If it weren't for the baby, she could have been the one going, the one there to support him, rather than another woman.

Instantly guilt-ridden, Kara rubbed the baby's head (or bottom). From the moment that she learned she was pregnant, she had loved this child with an intensity that she hadn't known existed. But at moments like this, she couldn't help but wish that she and Danny had been more careful. That they had waited for a better time. Her entire life had been upended, and despite Commander Garnett's assurances otherwise, Kara couldn't help but feel that she would never be able to return to the life that she had led for the last four years. Taking a deep breath and composing herself, Kara headed upstairs to gather Halsey for his evening constitutional. She could not afford to give in to her emotions. For now, she needed to focus on helping Danny get through the next few days and completing the work they had begun here in New London. Everything else would have to wait.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Perplexed by the cold shoulder that Eddie had given Rebecca, Danny headed across the room, which was still fairly crowded. Reaching Rebecca, he scouted around for a quiet spot. "I’d like a word. Should we head outside?"

Rebecca nodded, preceding him towards the entrance. It was chilly now that the sun had set, the intense dark broken only by the soft light pouring from the hotel's windows. Despite the generators being fully operational, there was no reason to waste power on external lights.

"What happened between you and Eddie?" he asked, leaning against the building, stalling.

"He blames me for Amber's death," Rebecca admitted. "She was so sick by the time they arrived. There was no way she could survive. I wanted to give her the cure so badly, hoping for a miracle. But I couldn't. What if we ran out and someone else died – someone that we could save – because I broke the rule for a friend? So I did my job. I didn't give her the shot. And Amber died. And Eddie will never forgive me for that."

 _I did my job_. The words reverberated in Danny's head, the words themselves so simple but the outcome so horrific. He had never imagined Rebecca capable of making that type of life and death decision. But if the last year had taught him anything, it was that tough times brought out both the best and the worst in people, and only the strong survived.

"Kara had the virus." Danny let the words hang for a moment. "Doctor Scott was testing her first vaccine and Kara volunteered for the trial. But it didn't work. They all got sicker and sicker. And I sat there in a hazmat suit, holding Kara's hand, wondering what I would do if she died. When Doctor Scott saved Kara, she gave me a reason to keep living. You did that for Eddie. You saved Tyler's life. You gave Eddie a reason to live, even if he can't see that right now."

He couldn't see Rebecca's face, but he thought he heard a sob. "Thank you."

It was easier talking to her like this, unable to see her face. "I screwed up today. I didn't know what to say when I saw you, so I didn't say anything. I'm sorry that I hurt you. Caro used to say that I had the emotional intelligence of a flea."

Rebecca laughed. "Caroline always had a way with words. But I should have seen it right away. You're wearing a wedding ring, for heaven's sake. It's just…well…this is stupid. But when I heard your voice over the radio, it felt like a fairy tale – the knight on the white horse coming to save the princess from her exile and take her home – as if you had arrived to save me, take me back to Cornwall, to everyone we loved, and it would be as if the Red Flu never happened. We could rewind the clock and start over. I can't believe I just said that out loud, it sounds so ridiculous."

"I'm not a knight, Rebecca," Danny responded, uncomfortable with the portrayal. Rebecca had always had a romantic streak, one that had struck him as oddly incongruent with her profession as a scientist dedicated to truth and facts. But it allowed her to focus on the best in people – she had certainly always seen the best in him. And he had enjoyed that, he realized, relishing her idolized version of him.

"You did the right thing, breaking things off." Rebecca stepped closer, leaning against the wall next to him. "I knew that it wasn't going to work. I just couldn't admit it. I wanted you to be someone that you weren't – I wanted you to want the life that I did. And the navy wasn't a part of that." A moment of silence. "Lieutenant Foster, Kara, told me she was going back to Norfolk to have the baby. Staying with her mother while you remained on the ship."

"She did?" Danny asked, surprised. He wondered how that had come up. Kara rarely spoke what would happen after the baby was born. It was strange that she would choose Rebecca, of all people, to confide in.

"I asked," Rebecca answered the unspoken question. "She's stronger than me. I couldn't do that. Being left alone with a baby to take care of while the whole world was in pieces."

Was that how Kara saw it, Danny wondered? That he was abandoning her with an infant and an unreliable mother in Norfolk?

"Don't put yourself down. You are a strong woman, Rebecca, you had to be in order to survive the last year," Danny responded.

"Did the two of you … know each other then? Is that why you…." Rebecca asked haltingly.

"No," Danny responded instantly. "We met later, on the Nathan James. There was nothing like that Rebecca."

"I just needed to know," Rebecca explained. "Caroline thought that there might be someone else. She said you were acting guilty."

Danny thought back to those last moments with Caro again. He could see how Caro had thought that. He had felt guilty. Guilty that he didn't love Rebecca the way he should. Guilty that he couldn't want the life that she did. Guilty that he hadn't broken things off earlier, feeling as though he had been stringing Rebecca along. Guilty at the upset he was causing not just to Rebecca but to his family and friends, especially Caro. "She was upset that I didn't tell her in advance."

A short laugh. "I know. If there is one thing that Caroline hated, it was not being in the know. Things were pretty rough between Caroline and I for a while there. She was sure that you would come to your senses and that we could patch things up. She didn't believe me when I told her it was really over. I felt bad about that, once the Red Flu hit. We didn't leave things on the best of terms. I keep hoping that tomorrow…"

"I know." The pressure on Danny's chest increased until he could barely breathe. Tomorrow he would know. Maybe. Or maybe not. That was the worst part. He might never know what had happened to them.

"I was surprised, actually, that it wasn't harder," Rebecca spoke again. Danny turned towards her, confused by the comment.

"I missed you, of course," she explained. "But we already lived separate lives. We saw each other what, once a month if we were lucky? And that was only if you weren't deployed. Sometimes it was once or twice a year. That was when I realized how far apart we had grown. I was _used_ to going months without seeing you. It had become normal. The hardest part was not having someone to call at the end of the day. I missed talking to you more than anything."

"Me too," Danny admitted. "I used to pick up the phone sometimes, dialing your number without thinking. It was tough not being able to talk to you or Caro. It felt like I lost two of my best friends in one swoop."

The silence stretched between them but, unlike earlier, this silence was no longer tense or awkward. Kara had been right (as usual). He and Rebecca had needed to talk.

"Probably should turn in before it's too late," Danny said finally. "Let me walk you back to the hospital."

"I hope that we – maybe even Kara – can all be friends, Danny," Rebecca's voice was earnest. "I've lost a lot of people in the last year. I don't want to lose you again."

"Of course we can be friends," Danny reassured her automatically. But he didn't really know how that would work. Kara had told him to talk to Rebecca, but what he really needed to do was to talk to Kara. She was so composed, so controlled. It could be hard to figure out what she was thinking or feeling, especially when she didn't want him to. And he suspected that she was deliberately keeping things from him right now, that she didn't want to talk to him about Rebecca, that the situation was bothering her more than she wanted him to know. And the fact that she had told Rebecca about going to Norfolk – something that she generally refused to discuss – suggested that it was on her mind.

Leaving Rebecca at the hospital door, Danny turned towards the hotel, hoping to catch Kara before she fell asleep. But as soon as he opened the door to their shared room, Danny realized that it wasn't meant to be. Although the light was on, Kara was asleep, a book slumped across her chest, Halsey curled up on the floor next to her, looking at him with sleepy eyes. Snapping off the light, Danny undressed and lay down on the other side of the bed, staring into the darkness as he considering again what Rebecca had said earlier. He and Kara had had both known that she would have to leave the Nathan James at some point, and he would have to make a choice – family or navy, duty or love, Kara and the baby or the Nathan James – but it had seemed so far away, and the mission had been the priority. Now time had passed and the moment of truth was nearly here – and if there was one thing that Danny knew for sure, it was that he wasn't ready.


	10. Chapter 10

"I recognized that look," Eddie said with a smirk as the vehicles finally rumbled out of New London. "You got laid."

Doctor Morrison started sputtering, coughing up the water he had just drunk. Danny rolled his eyes. Kara had woken him up in a particularly … pleasant manner that morning, but they were well past the age of kiss and tell. There were disadvantages to being around his childhood friend. It sort of felt like being seventeen again.

"And here I thought that was Green's normal face," Tex joked from the front seat. "He has apparently been a very happy man in the time that I have known him. Well, except those first few weeks after Gitmo. Glad that hoity-toity routine didn't last long."

"What happened in Gitmo? Hopefully it involves Danny screwing something up," Eddie jested. "Have to take advantages of those moments."

Danny had split the party between two vehicles, Burk, Wolf, Miller and Rebecca following them along the broken road. He hadn't wanted Eddie to be in the same vehicle as Rebecca, but apparently he should have separated Tex and Eddie as well. The two men had hit it off immediately.

"What are you? A bunch of gossiping old ladies?" Danny retorted half-heartedly, knowing it was useless to try to stop them and enjoying the camaraderie, even if he was the chosen punching bag. References to Gitmo no longer smarted the way that they used to, overshadowed by all that had happened since then, seeming far longer than six months ago.

Tex turned around and winked at Eddie. He was seated in the passenger seat while Cruz drove. "I'll make you a deal. For every good piece of intel you give me on golden boy over there, I will return the favor."

Eddie smirked in Danny's direction. "You aware of Green's obsession with old sci-fi movies?"

"All that talk wasn't just to impress the lovely KFG?" Tex hooted. Danny kicked the man's seat. "I'll give you the life story of Danny Green and you tell me where I am wrong. First-born son, apple of his parents' eyes. Straight A student. Football player…"

"Soccer," Eddie interrupted.

"My mother is a doctor. She was worried about concussions," Danny added.

Tex snorted. "Soccer player. Popular with the girls. Voted homecoming king…" Eddie was now laughing so hard that he was crying.

"Runner-up, actually," Danny tossed in. Waldron had won, of course.

"Never in any trouble. Probably didn't even skip school." Tex was on a roll now.

"He did get suspended once." Eddie threw in. Danny groaned. Tex would love this story. "We decided to let some chickens loose in the school as a prank. Unfortunately for Green here, the chickens came from his house. His dad recognized them immediately. That was a scene. The school principal suspending his own kid."

Even Doctor Morrison laughed at that one. "Dear lord, Green, and I thought Kara was the farm girl," Tex drawled.

"Says the man named Tex who's from Reno," Danny retorted.

"You owe me something now," Eddie piped in. "Something about Kara."

"I got one," Tex replied. "So I join the Nathan James at Gitmo and that lout gets assigned as my roommate. Now he's going on and on about the navy fraternization policy but it doesn't take long before I start to notice that he spends a _lot_ of time watching a certain pretty lieutenant, and I am not talking about Burk. But Green insists that there's nothing going on. Until one day Danny does a swan dive onto the floor of the crew lounge. Everyone freaks out that it's the Red Flu and the Captain orders the ship locked down and everyone in biohazard suits. A minute later the lounge door swings open and a certain lieutenant comes charging in, looks right at the Captain, and says 'if he has it, I have it - _we had lunch together_.'"

"Lunch?" Eddie was roaring with laughter. "That was the best excuse she could come up with?"

"The look on Captain Chandler's face was indescribable," Cruz added, chuckling. "I thought he was going to kill all of us on the spot. You were lucky to be unconscious, sir."

Yes, Danny thought with a twinge of guilt, lucky. He had been able to avoid not only the Captain's response, but also the reaction of the crew upon finding out what he and Kara had been up to in the arctic. Kara, unfortunately, had not been so lucky. She had forced to face both the Captain and the crew, immediately and alone. Danny's memories of the two days after he collapsed were blurry, random images of people coming and going and snippets of conversation that made little sense. His first clear memory was waking up and seeing Kara, eyes closed as she leaned against the door to the medical bay, looking exhausted. He had thought perhaps he was imagining the sight, and had croaked her name questioningly.

_"Kara?"_

_At the sound of his voice, her eyes had popped open and she moved to his side. "Danny?" She felt his forehead, and then gave a sigh of relief. "Your fever seems to have broken. How are you feeling?"_

_"Thirsty," he replied, unwilling to admit that he could barely lift his head from the pillow. Using what little strength he had, he reached out to take her hand, needing that connection. The last few weeks had been agonizing - missing the sound of her voice, the sight of her smile, the feeling of her heart beating when she was wrapped in his arms, her soft breath against his chest. "What happened?"_

_"You had dengue fever," she explained. "You've been so sick. I was afraid…" She stopped, turning to pick up a cup with a straw from behind the bunk. "Here, drink some water. I'll get Doc Rios."_

_His strength gone, Danny had fallen back asleep. Waking up a couple of hours later he had seen Doctor Scott bustling around the medical bay. Upon noticing that he was awake, she had come to check on him._

_"How long have I been out of it?" Danny asked feeling disoriented._

_"Two days," Doctor Scott replied. Then in a telling statement, she continued. "Lieutenant Foster has been very concerned. She has hardly left your side. I imagine she'll be back as soon as she is off duty."_

_And as if that wasn't enough to let Danny know that the cat was out of the bag, both Burk and Tex had mentioned Kara when they swung by, independently, to check on him later that day. Tex had been only too willing to fill Danny in on the events in the crew lounge, making sure to rub it in that, no matter what Danny said, things with Kara were plainly not over. As Tex told the tale, in addition to his own embarrassment, Danny had felt physically ill knowing that Kara had been forced to face the Captain and the crew alone. He had heard the crude comments made about female sailors caught breaking the fraternization rules, the blame so often placed disproportionately on their shoulders. If his team where still alive, they would have stepped in, protected her for him. But his team was gone and he was stuck in this bed, barely able to make it to the head by himself. Kara was dealing with the fallout herself._

_After an uneasy night of restless sleep, Danny had broken down and asked Burk how she was doing. It has been an awkward conversation. While in the arctic, he and Burk had developed only a casual acquaintance, their interactions limited to the occasional game of poker and a few superficial conversations. Even their duties on the Nathan James had not brought them into close contact, as Danny and his team had spent their days on the ice with Doctors Scott and Tophet, while Burk remained on the ship assisting in the weapons tests that were being conducted. In the weeks since they had left the arctic, their connection had mainly come from their joint efforts to train the crew for the new mission and little of a personal nature had been shared. Worse, Danny knew that Burk felt protective of Kara, seeing her as something of a little sister after spending three years working closely together on the Nathan James. But there was no one else Danny could ask, Tex still too much of an outsider to understand the implications of breaking the rules._

_"I heard that Kara stopped by the crew lounge while I was unconscious," Danny said casually once Burk had finished his report of the day's training._

_"She did," Burk replied, his voice guarded. Danny was an outsider, not a member of the Nathan James crew, assigned to the ship for only a single deployment. Burk had no reason to trust him, especially now._

_"I heard that the Captain wasn't too happy about that," Danny pushed on._

_"She got two weeks, stern and aft, six and six. Plus regular duties. Plus creating a new training program for the engineering JOs." Burk leaned back in his chair as he delivered the news, watching Danny's reaction. Although Danny wasn't surprised, he still felt like he had been punched in the gut. Kara would be on duty for a minimum of eighteen hours a day for the next two weeks. No wonder she hadn't been anywhere in sight._

_"Anyone giving her a hassle?" He asked, finally voicing the question that had been taunting him all night. Understanding what Danny was really asking, Burk paused, sizing him up. Danny met his gaze directly. He was embarrassed and ashamed of his behavior, but he wasn't embarrassed of how he felt about Kara._

_"Captain was pretty pissed," Carlton acknowledged. "He sent us all out but you could hear him two decks up. Captain Chandler's a reasonable man, though. Once the punishment is done, he won't hold it against her. As for the rest, Kara has been on the ship for three years, and we are all pretty tight." Danny felt a small sense of relief over that, at least. "Besides, I don't think the crew was quite as surprised by the news as the CO. You've been watching her since we left Norfolk. Think the only surprise was that it wasn't all one-sided. In any event, we have bigger problems."_

_Burk had gone on to explain about the sailors – including Cossetti – who had asked to leave the Nathan James. The timing had worked in Danny's favor. Violating a few rules about fraternization – even screwing up a mission (especially one where nobody actually got hurt) – was nothing compared to abandonment of the crew, of the ship, of the mission. Even Danny's conversation with the Captain had been anti-climactic, the activities with Bertrise and the Vyerni having intervened and taken priority. The hardest person to talk to about the situation, ironically, had been Kara herself. Although he had seen her in CIC, it hadn't been until after their return from the Vyerni when he had finally caught her alone. He had come off the overnight shift and was on his way to grab a bite before meeting the team for their first training session of the day, set at 0730 in an attempt to avoid the punishing heat, when he bumped into Kara, almost literally, at the door to the officers' mess._

_"Lieutenant," she nodded formally as she stepped back, waiting for him to enter so she could leave. She looked tired, her face pale, rings under her eyes, but all he could think about was how beautiful she was. Scanning the room to confirm that they were along, Danny shut the door behind him, blocking her escape._

_"We haven't had a chance to talk," he said, leaning back against the door, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms._

_"I'm sorry I outed us – outed you – to the Captain," Kara said, meeting his gaze, her eyes somber. "Heard you got night watch?_

_Danny shrugged. The worst part of his punishment wasn't the watch, it had been the mortifying task of talking to his team about how badly he had screwed up at Gitmo. Not only that he had almost blown the mission, but that he had created the situation by insisting on joining Kara on the boat in the first place, knowing that his emotions were compromised. And then he had topped it all off by blaming it all on Kara – although he hadn't shared that particular fact with the guys. "Night watch isn't bad. Gives me time to think. Consider what I've gotten right. What I've gotten wrong. Recently I've gotten a lot of things wrong. Starting with Gitmo. I was the one that screwed up. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you."_

_"We should never have allowed ourselves to be in that position," Kara responded, looking away. "I am as much to blame for that as you."_

_"I thought that if I wasn't around you, it would be easier," Danny admitted. "But it wasn't. My team is gone. All of my friends dead. My family probably dead as well. I don't want to lose you too."_

_"We can't…." Kara began, but Danny cut her off._

_"Not now. But once we get back home, we can start again. Do things the right way."_

_"We don't know how long this mission will take or when we will get back to Norfolk – whatever is left of it." Kara shook her head. "Things could change."_

_"I meant what I said that night. I love you. Two months, two years. That isn't going to change, Kara."_

_Kara had hesitated, and he had been afraid that it was already too late, that he had screwed things up too much, that she didn't feel the same way about him that he did about her. Then, after what felt like an eternity, she had reached out to grasp his hand. "I love you too."_

_They had stood there, his hand in hers, and for that brief moment, Danny had felt at peace._

Danny was pulled from his musing as they began to pass houses, Tex and Eddie continued their banter, having moved on to mocking Danny's (admittedly) poor skiing technique, an irony considering his most recent arctic assignment. Cruz slowing as they all scanned for civilians.

"There!" Danny said abruptly – pointing to the twitching of a curtain in a window. "Looks like we have our first stop. Ready Doctor Morrison?"

It was the first stop of many. Four hours later they finally reached Norwalk, traveling a distance that would have taken no more than forty-five minutes under normal conditions. The word had apparently begun to spread, both from New York and New London, that the navy was distributing the cure and the populace, while cautious, had not been overly suspicious. In New Haven, they had been especially fortunate and made contact with several of Doctor Morrison's colleagues, who had quickly grasped the importance of the contagious cure and arranged for its spread throughout the city.

"Cobra to base," Danny called, hoping that Kara would be at the other end. Hearing her voice was always reassuring, even though there would be nothing personal discussed.

But it was Slattery's gravelly voice rather than Kara who answered. "Base here."

"We've finished in Norwalk and are heading north. Should reach next objective in thirty minutes." Danny didn't mention that the next objective was Cornwall. He wiggled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension that had been growing all day, the feeling that something was wrong.

"Excellent progress," Slattery replied. "What is the situation there?"

"There was a similar emergency plan enacted here as there was in New London, sir. Doctor Morrison's presence has been extremely helpful in explaining the situation to the local medical community." Danny wondered if Slattery would pass that gem along to Doctor Scott. The two had developed a firm friendship since the events of the Vyerni, one that seemed to be rooted in their shared desire to keep the Captain safe, as well as to keep him on his toes.

"Roger that. Base out."

As they headed north, Danny found himself more and more distracted, his thoughts turning to Cornwall and what they might find upon their arrival They were still ten minutes south of their objective when shots rang out, catching him by surprise, coming out of nowhere as they rounded a curve, the heavy leaf cover along the small two-lane highway making for poor visibility. Cruz spun the SUV sideways, blocking the road and allowing them all to take cover.

"Turn around and go back the way you came!" The order was punctuated by a few additional shots that landed nowhere near the SUV. Either the person shooting was a terrible shot or, more likely, their intention was not to actually hit anything. This type of situation wasn't unusual, locals protecting their territory and families.

"This is Lieutenant Daniel Green with the U.S. Navy. We are headed north to Cornwall. We have the cure to the Red Flu. Happy to share it with all of you."

"We've heard that before," a man replied. The voice sounded familiar and Danny raised an eyebrow at Eddie. "We aren't interested in your _cure_."

Eddie spoke softly. "Mr. Will, the mailman."

In his ear, Danny could hear Burk advising base of the situation, then he and Wolf appeared, running up from the second vehicle, which had remained several clicks back per protocol. "Wolf, take Doctor Morrison to Miller, just in case. Then see if you can figure out where those shots are coming from."

"I grew up in Cornwall," Danny shouted back. "Dr. Green's son. Just trying to get home to my family. Is that you Mr. Will?"

There was a long pause, then Mr. Will replied. "How do we know this isn't a trick?"

"Ask me anything you want to know," Danny responded. "I have Eddie Ward here with me. Coreen and Stan Ward's son. Found him down in New London."

"Hi Mr. Will!" Eddie shouted, although it was unlikely that the man would recognize the voices of two men that had left Cornwall ten years before.

"Who was your fifth grade teacher?"

That was easy. Cornwell wasn't that big – there were only two options. "Mrs. Taylor."

"Name of your dog?"

Mr. Will had loved animals, learning the names of all of the dogs on his routes and carrying treats for the days when he dropped off packages. "First dog was Jake. After he died, my parents got Hannah. Annoying little nipper."

"First kiss?"

That one came out of left field. Tex frowned at Danny. "Small town or not, that is a strange thing for a mailman to ask."

"Probably just looking for the name of a local girl," Eddie suggested. "Trying to throw you off."

"Or he's getting fed questions by someone else," Danny replied, suspicion forming. After a moment, he decided to test the waters. "Karen Myers."

"You have two minutes to turn around and leave before we start shooting!"

Danny tried again. "Tracy Mullens. That the answer you wanted?"

Eddie did a double take. "Isn't Tracy the girl that was always putting weird poems in your locker? You avoided her like the plague."

Danny shook his head, indicating for Eddie to wait. He might not have disliked Tracy quite as much as he claimed at the time. It had been his first crush and he had, predictably, handled it badly like most pre-teen boys. As the silence stretched, someone on the other side considering his response, suspicion crystalized into certainty. Mr. Will had not been the one to ask that question.

"You ready to talk to me yet, Caro?"


	11. Chapter 11

Kara leaned against the door to the lobby, relishing the feel of the cool glass. Man was she hot. Last night she had slept better than she had in months, and she had woken up full of energy. Unfortunately, the burst hadn't lasted and now the waves of nausea were almost overwhelming. Forcing herself to head back towards the make-shift command center before Alisha sent out a search party to look for her, Kara decided to try to find Rachel on her next break and get something for her stomach. Maybe she'd have Rachel check out the baby as well. She (since, despite what Danny thought, Kara was convinced it was a girl) had been rather quiet this morning, only the occasional tap-dance on Kara's bladder. It would be reassuring to have Rachel tell her that everything was fine.

"Heard from Cobra," Slattery noted as she re-entered the room. "No problems in Norwalk. They are pushing north. Next check in thirty minutes."

"That's good news, sir," Kara replied. She was disappointed to have missed the check-in, the last one before Danny left for Cornwall. Not that they would have discussed anything personal, of course, but she had gotten very good at reading his frame of mind based on a few words over the radio.

Slattery gave her a hard look. "Heard you puking. Third time this morning. You eat anything?"

Kara sighed. The XO was nothing if not direct. "It didn't work out so well." The chocolate chip pancakes that had looked so amazing at the cafeteria this morning had been the first thing to come back up.

"Go see Doctor Scott. Everything here is running like clockwork. Besides, that sound is making me twitchy." Kara exchanged glances with Alisha, fighting back a smile despite how miserable she currently felt. Twitchy? As though sensing the question, the XO shuddered. "My wife threw up for nine months all three times. Makes a man thankful to be out to sea."

Normally Kara would have insisted on toughing it out, not wanting to receive special treatment, but right now she felt too awful to argue. Thirty minutes was plenty of time to get back before Danny called in again. "Thank you, sir."

Heading across the street, Kara hoped that whatever Rachel gave her kicked in quickly. She did not have time right now to be sick.

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"I'm thinking about it."

Danny swallowed hard, fighting back a sob of joy and relief at the sound of her voice. _Caro was alive_. Somehow, someway she had survived. And he had found her – or she had found him. He had another chance to make things right.

"Still pissed at me, I take it?" Danny called back, reverting to his typical half-flippant manner of dealing with Caro, sidestepping the emotional intensity of the moment.

"If you want to talk, Danny, you can come on over," Caro replied. "But no guns. And tell anyone else with you to head back down the road."

"Absolutely not," Burk responded instantly. "We have no idea what is going on and this whole question and answer thing is weird."

Tex leaned forward. "I'm with Burk. This isn't just scared civilians. There's something wrong here. You sure that's your sister?"

"Oh, that's Caroline all right," Cruz responded without hesitation. "And she's got a bee in her bonnet about something. No talking her out of it, though. She is the most stubborn woman on the planet."

"Let me talk to her," Danny insisted. He knew that he could get through to Caro with a little time. He just needed to figure out the situation, get a bit more information. "They won't shoot me."

But what if they did? Despite himself, he couldn't stop himself from remembering Kara on that morning in New Orleans, her eyes teary as she asked, no implored, him not to leave her alone to raise their child. One of the rare moments when she had set aside the self-confident persona that she projected to the world and allowed him to see her fear, her worries. He could not allow his emotions – either about Caro or about Kara and the baby – to rule his head. He had to trust that Burk was seeing the situation clearly.

"No can do, Caro," Danny called back. Then he added, "Cruz here says that you are the most stubborn woman on the planet."

He looked over at Tex. "That should get a rise out of her."

But surprisingly, there was no response. Danny frowned, confused by the continued silence. Caro was not an indecisive person. Waiting, equivocating, vacillating, that had never been Caro's style. Of course, that was before the virus. Who knew what Caro had been through in the last year? No doubt she had changed, as had he.

"I heard Mr. Will. Anyone else with you? Dad? Tom? The Wards?"

"You think that's going to work on me?" Caro's voice was scornful. "Get me to tell you how many of us there are? Forget it buster. I've been down that road before. The military and all of their _help_."

Danny slammed his fist into the ground. The Immunes. They must have been through here, spreading their oh-so-effective propaganda. There was no telling what Caro had seen or heard, but something truly terrible must have happened for her to be this suspicious. The most sensible thing to do right now would be to turn around, head to Hartford via another route, avoid a confrontation, wait for word of the cure to spread here naturally. But this was his sister, his family. He couldn't just leave.

"You see anything Wolf?" Burk asked quietly.

"Looks like civilians," Wolf responded over the mic. "Four of them. Older man, two guys in their early twenties, and the woman – Green's sister, I take it. She has a pistol but the rest of them have rifles, probably designed for hunting. They're on a small hill slightly west. I don't see any lookouts. We could take them without any shots being fired. Sneak in, toss in a little smoke, and have them on the ground before they knew what hit them."

"Negative," Slattery's voice over the radio was firm. "President doesn't want any violence and no telling what you'll find up the road even if you take these guys out."

"Sounds like the Immunes have been here," Burk added. "Spreading their usual rhetoric."

"How long to go back south and around, Green?" Slattery asked.

Danny considered the request. "We can probably get back to Route 8 in forty-five minutes, then another hour or two north to Hartford, depending on whether the road is clear."

"Assume three hours. Sundown is around five thirty these days. That gives you an hour to talk your way out of this one, boys. Win the hearts and minds of America, right?" Slattery's dry voice made it clear just how much he agreed with the President's sentiment.

"So what's the plan, Danny-boy? These are your people." Tex looked at him expectantly.

"Wolf, circle around north if you can and check out the situation up the road," Danny ordered. "Cruz, cover him. Burk, go south, check on Miller and make sure we aren't getting blocked in. I don't want to get surprised."

"Looks like we have ourselves a stalemate," Danny spoke loudly this time, making sure that Caro would hear him. "Kind of reminds me of playing Risk when we were kids."

"You've never been good at compromise, Danny," Caro replied.

"Pot meet kettle," Danny retorted with a snort. He actually was very good at compromising. Just not with Caro. He had learned at an early age that any give with her somehow turned into complete capitulation. "Well, since it sounds like we might be here for a while, you going to tell me what you've been up to for the past eighteen months?"

"You first. I can't wait to hear of the heroism of Daniel Joshua Green. Saving the world since 1987." Caro's voice dripped with sarcasm. Ah, there was the old Caro.

Tex's eyebrows popped. "Damn, you are a baby. Not going to tell you what I was up to in 1987."

"We need to keep her talking. Only way to figure out what happened here," Danny responded quietly. Tex nodded. If there was one thing that Tex was good at, it was talking.

"Saving the world can be kind of tricky," Danny called out to Caro. "I got a few things right this year. And a lot of things wrong." He paused. "Reminds me, actually, I ran into Rebecca. She was in New London when we made port." He played with the idea of having Rebecca talk to Caro, but decided it was too risky. He didn't want Rebecca caught in any cross-fire, or doing something stupid like agreeing to talk to Caro face-to-face. "She was worried about you. Said that you two had been on the outs."

"Which is your fault, of course," Caro retorted, but Danny thought he heard a note of something else in her voice, relief perhaps, at learning that Rebecca had survived.

"She has you pegged," Tex tossed in.

"This is my boy Tex. Met him down in Gitmo earlier this year and he's been annoying me ever since. But I'll get to that later. Might as well start at the beginning. I assume the parents told you that I was assigned to the Nathan James." She had known. _See you on the flip side_. "What they didn't know, because I couldn't tell them, was that we were headed to the arctic to test a new weapons system. Well, the ship was anyway. My job was to babysit two scientists while they dug around in the ice looking for bird droppings. So a year ago I was in the arctic, no incoming communication, spending my days freezing my ass off on the ice and my nights dreaming about a lovely lieutenant named Kara Foster. Gorgeous, smart, funny, good with a gun. Pretty much the perfect woman."

"Do you have a point?" Caro interrupted, her voice exasperated. Danny's lip curled. Long rambling stories like their father used to tell had always annoyed her.

"Oh yeah. Back on point. Babysitting a doctor looking at birds? Most boring assignment of my life, I though. Until the day Russian helicopters appear and start shooting at us, demanding that we give them the cure. Because it turns out that Doctor Rachel Scott is not just some annoying ornithologist, but is actually the world's leading paleomicrobiologist. And our real mission in the arctic is to find the primordial strain of a virus that is currently killing half a million people a day, which the CDC needs to develop a vaccine."

"Did you find it?" Caro's voice wavered slightly. She was a nurse. He had known that she would immediately grasp the significance of their mission.

"She's moving closer to your location," Wolf whispered. "The others are following a bit behind her, keeping their distance. Road north looks clear for now. Cruz and I will circle around behind them."

"We did. Not that I had any idea what a primordial strain was at the time, or what was going on back here. Captain broke radio silence that day and I tried to reach you – you, Mom, Dad, Chris, anyone really. Nothing went through. We left the arctic, heading south, but we needed fuel. We were just off the coast of France, trying to refuel, when a nuclear bomb passed overhead, eviscerating Paris. We were running on fumes when we came across a cruise ship. No response to our hails so we headed over. It was a ship of death. Bodies everywhere, ravaged by the virus. We were on our way out when Frankie tripped. His containment mask came off. He'd been exposed. And I watched as my best friend blew his head off." He paused. Talking about Frankie was like being stabbed over and over again, the wound still raw.

"At least it was quick," Caro's voice was hard. "The Red Flu is an awful way to die. I'd take a bullet any day."

"Not sure that I agree with you, sugar," Tex tossed in. "I've been shot _and_ had the Red Flu. Can you say that? Anyone? Bueller?"

"Nobody survives the Red Flu." It was a man's voice, but not Mr. Will. They were getting through to someone, at least.

"I did," Tex said simply.

"This is Eddie Ward. I survived as well, both me and my boy."

Tex let that sink in for a moment. "Well, as the only person here with any basis for comparison, the Red Flu isn't so bad. Getting shot hurts like a son of a bitch. The virus? The rash doesn't really itch and the hallucinations were kind of enjoyable. The worst part was listening to Green's sniffling over Kara. 'Don't you dare leave me. You are not going to die, okay? You complete me.'" Danny gave Tex a look. Waaay too far. "I might have borrowed that last bit from Jerry McGuire, but you get the idea. Not what I wanted to hear while I was having a nice morphine induced dream about a certain temptress doctor."

"At least I didn't resort to bad James Bond jokes," Danny retorted under his breath, before raising his voice again. "But back to my story. We headed home to find Doctor Scott a laboratory, but nobody was responding. So she worked on the ship while we moved from place to place. Picked Tex up at Gitmo along with a bunch of equipment that Doctor Scott needed. Cruz has a nice scar from a run-in with some inmates there. We lost Bercham and Smith to the Russians. I almost ran the ship into some coral…."

"Skip ahead, Danny." Caro's voice was exasperated, and suspicious. "How did that man survive? Nobody survives the Red Flu. You're either immune or you're dead."

Burk reappeared, staying to the tree line as he made his way towards them. "Well, fast forwards a bit and Doctor Scott has it – a vaccine. We still had to test it, though. Six people volunteered – Tex and Kara included. But the vaccine didn't work. They all got sick. Really, really, really sick. Still, Doctor Scott is one determined lady. She refused to give up. And at the last minute she managed it. Using the primordial she found a formula that not only inoculates the healthy, but also cures the sick. Like Tex here."

"Did … Kara … survive?" Caro spoke hesitantly, her voice catching over the name of a woman that she had heard of only a few minutes ago. It felt surreal, the idea that Caro had no idea who Kara was, how much she meant to him.

"Sure did. Both her and the little Green parasite pulled through." Tex paused when nobody laughed. "Get it? Baby Green? A Green parasite?"

"If you have to explain the joke it isn't funny, Tex." Heaven help Tex if he said that in front of Kara.

"She was pregnant?" Caro sounded dumbfounded. And he couldn't blame her. If she walked out eight months pregnant, he would be completely blind-sided too.

"That was pretty much my reaction," Danny confessed. "Not exactly the news that I was expecting when the Captain walked out onto the flight deck that day. But continuing with my story. Now we have the vaccine but we need to find a lab where we can make and distribute it in large quantities. We were near Baltimore when we got hailed by a woman named Amy Granderson who, by chance, was the mother of one of the lieutenants on the Nathan James. She knew about our mission and had a lab we could use. Sounds perfect, right?"

"I'm going to guess that it wasn't," Caro responded.

"She's almost on the road," Wolf interjected.

"Of course not. I met them on the pier. Checked their identification and sent a bunch of them back to the ship. We all headed downtown to Mrs. Granderson's fortress. By the time we realized what she was up to – killing the sick and burning their bodies to power the city – her people had taken the Nathan James. But they couldn't find the primordial strain. Our doctors had hidden it too well. So Granderson decided to get clever. You know what a great way to re-engineer a vaccine is? Stem cells."

"Oh my God," Caro's voice reflected the horror that Danny could see on Eddie's face as understanding struck. "Did you save them?"

Danny stepped around the SUV, onto the sun-dappled road. Caro stood twenty feet away, her arm in a sling, limping as she took a step towards him. "Me save them? Nope. Kara pulled a hand free and stabbed the doctor to death with a syringe, then got herself out of the building with a little help from our good friend Tex." _Another time that Kara had been alone. Another time that she had been forced to save herself_. "She's not exactly a shrinking violet, and she doesn't like people messing with her family. So if your friends over there are thinking about shooting me, they may want to think twice, because she might just hunt them down."

"I thought that I would never see you again," Caro admitted, her voice shaking. "Dad's gone. He got sick early on. The Wards and Carltons are gone. There are only a couple hundred of us left. The looters keep picking us off. Nowhere is safe anymore."

His father was gone, then. Hearing Caro's voice had made him hope…. Not that he was surprised, but the news was still a blow. And Rebecca's and Eddie's parents as well. But Caro was here. He still had her. They were close enough now for Danny to see the tears rolling down Caro's face. She was filthy, her clothing covered in stains, blood seeping from the makeshift sling. She looked like she had been through a war – and maybe she had. He closed the last space between them, pulling her into his arms for a hug, gentle so not to jostle her injury. "I'm sorry. For everything."

Caro pulled back, looking up at him through tear-soaked eyes. "Me too. A baby? Really? Anything else you need to tell me about?"

"Later." Danny felt like he had been saying that a lot lately. "What happened to you?"

"Tom's people." Caro explained. "When I heard that Eddie was with you, I thought maybe you'd all crossed over."

"Tom's people?" It was Danny's turn to be feel mystified.

"I haven't heard from Tom in months," Eddie spoke, frowning, as he joined them on the road. "He'd been updating me on my folks and then all of a sudden there was no answer. I figured he was dead. I've been down in New London. I thought about trying to come up – look for my parents – but I couldn't leave my boy."

"A few months back a group came through, passing out supplies, offering to help. They wore uniforms – looked like standard army green. Something about it felt off to me. But Tom knew some of the guys. Said they were legit. We'd gotten close, spent a lot of time together since the quarantines were put in place. He used to say that he was taking care of me because that's what you would have wanted, Danny. That he was like a substitute big brother. I trusted him. But it was a lie. Two days after the men came through, half the town was dead and most of the rest dying. And Tom was gone. He left with them in the middle of the night. They come back every so often for food and supplies. Ran into some of them a couple nights back." Caro held up her bandaged arm.

Danny and Tex exchanged glances. "Immunes. We saw it in the south. They deliberately spread the virus to see who would get sick. But they were all supposed to surrender in exchange for presidential pardons."

"No, these guys aren't immune," Caro corrected. "At least I don't think they are. The water they were passing out was laced with rat poison – arsenic. They were just clearing us out. Apparently there is no room for the weak in the new world order. Tom pulled a few of us aside and offered to let us join them. He didn't take 'no' well."

Danny felt his jaw drop. They poisoned the town? It was horrifying – and unfathomable - that Tom could have participated in such a ghastly act. Waldron had been the ladies' man of their group, Danny the athlete, and Eddie the clown. But Tom, Tom had been the smart one. The guy that never had to study but always aced the test. The one who was always two steps ahead. Danny recalled how disappointed his father had been when Tom returned from college and got a job managing the local hardware store, rather than continuing on to graduate school. But Tom had seemed content. How could his friend have participated in the mass murder of a town, of people that he had grown up with? Disbelief dissolved into anger, as well as a sense of deep disillusionment. The Nathan James' mission was to save the world. But at what point was the world no longer worth saving?

"My parents?" Eddie's voice broke.

"I'm sorry, Eddie," Caro whispered. "I tried to save who I could. But it took me too long to figure out what happened and then we didn't have the right medication…."

At that moment, Mr. Will and two younger men stepped out of the woods. Danny thought that one of them was Ryan Stokes, a boy a bit older than Chris, but he wasn't sure. Wolf followed them a moment later. Caro jumped as he appeared, hand dropping to the pistol she had strapped to her thigh (a sight that Danny had never imagined – his sister carrying a gun). He beat her to it, palming the weapon. "Wolf's with me. No offense Caro, but your people suck at guard duty. Try looking behind you once in a while. How many people are you with? Do you have vehicles?"

One of the men behind Caro spoke. "About two hundred. We've been staying at the old strawberry barns. We have a couple vans and trucks, but not much fuel left. Do you know somewhere safe we can go?"

Eddie answered the question. "We were in Norwalk this morning and there was no fighting and plenty of supplies. That's your best bet if fuel is limited."

Danny nodded. The strawberry barn was about a mile northwest the way the crow flies, but longer by road. Danny mentioned to Wolf. "You and Burk head north, check the road to make sure it's clear. I'll take Tex and Cruz and head to the barn directly. Tex, grab the extra gas from the SUV." Danny tapped his microphone. "Cobra to base."

"Situation Green?" Commander Garnett's voice responded, startling Danny. In order for Garnett to be answered, the Captain, XO and Kara were unavailable – which most likely meant that something had gone wrong with the ground efforts. Danny exchanged glances with Tex.

"We're about twenty minutes north of Norwalk. Found survivors but they are in rough shape and are telling us about looters in the area. Plan to evacuate civilians south and then head towards the primary objective. May require support, ma'am."

"We'll have the bird on standby."

Danny turned back to Caro. "You have a way of contacting people – telling them to get ready to go?"

One of the men – Ryan? – nodded. Hearing movement in the trees, Danny raised his weapon, then lowered it immediately as Cruz appeared. "There you are. We're headed…."

But whatever Danny was about to say was completely lost when Cruz marched up to Caro and, to Danny's utter shock, leaned down to give her a fervent kiss.


	12. Chapter 12

"Did you just kiss my sister?" Danny sputtered, glowering at Cruz. And not a peck either. That had been a full-on embrace. And Caro hadn't exactly fought the man off. She looked remarkably composed about it actually, her cheeks only slightly pink.

Cruz shrugged, his eyes fixed on Caro. "Should have done that years ago."

"So _now_ you're over the whole 'bro code' thing?" Caro's retorted, rolling her eyes. "Figures."

Beside Danny, Tex started laughing. "If you could see the look on your face right now!"

"You detest Cruz! You refer to him as a lump of wasted brain matter." The world had gone topsy-turvy, and Danny was unable to wrap his head around the idea of Cruz harboring a secret thing for Caro. Or not so secret, since Caro seemed to be well aware of it. And not all-together opposed either.

"Fine line between love and hate," Eddie observed, a grin playing around the corner of his mouth.

"Honestly, Danny, it's none of your business," Caro snapped. "And we have other things to deal with right now. Ryan, do you have the radio?"

The other man tossed Caro one of Danny's old walkie talkie sets. As a pre-teen he had used them for elaborate paintball games played in the woods behind his house, later graduating to talking with Rebecca at night after the lights were out and his parents had confiscated his phone. Not the most secure method of communication. Despite feeling completely discombobulated by what he had just seen, training took over. "Don't say anything about me over an open line. Just tell them to get ready."

"It's me. We found the car – nothing to worry about. We're headed back. Get ready to move." Caro looked at him inquisitively. Danny nodded. She clicked off the radio. "Okay, let's go."

Danny frowned at her. "There's no way you are making it back through the woods on that foot. Mr. Will, Ryan, and …"

"Nick." The man held out his hand.

"…and Nick can go with us, get everyone packed up."

"Well I'm not staying here by myself!" Caro snapped.

Ignoring her, Danny spoke into his mic. "Miller, need you to pick up an additional package."

"Roger that, sir."

"Backup," he explained to Caro with a shrug. She narrowed her eyes, plainly annoyed at him for holding out on her, but saying nothing. She was obviously in rougher shape than she was willing to admit. Reaching into his vest, he pulled out the small case he kept there, sliding out one of the needles. He met her eyes. "I've been carrying these around for six months, since we found the cure." These weren't the original doses, of course. He had used them, at times, when they were running short, and upgraded the version he carried to include the contagious cure. But he had never left the ship without carrying four shots, the last spark of hope that he would find his family despite the long odds never dying. "Give me your arm."

"You should save them for the children." Caro stepped back.

"We've got plenty," Danny responded. "And they won't need shots anyway. Once you get the vaccine, you're contagious with the cure in about an hour."

"What? How is that possible?"

"I'll explain later." Grabbing her arm, Danny stuck her with the needle, then maneuvered Caro around the SUV still parked across the road to where Miller had stopped. Sliding open the door, he pushed Caro towards Rebecca. He heard both women gasp.

"You two catch up. We'll be back in a bit." Turning towards Miller, he added, "First sign of trouble you hightail it south. Do not wait for orders."

Without waiting for a reply, Danny headed towards the three men waiting by the trees, grabbing a gas can on his way by. Thank goodness they had refueled in Norwalk. "Anyone else want a shot before we go?"

Three shots later, the men were weaving their way through the trees, Eddie at point since he was familiar with the woods, Tex and Cruz bringing up the rear, Danny wishing that he had brought Halsey with them today. This type of mission was perfect for the German Shepard. Outside in heavy brush, his nose and ears were far better at distinguishing human presence from the sounds and scents of nature. But Danny had left the dog at the hotel this morning, anticipating that the next two days would be filled with driving and that Halsey could be better used by the teams that would be distributing the cure through Providence, searching for survivors. Besides, he liked knowing that Halsey was there with Kara when he wasn't, protecting her when he couldn't. He was even thinking about leaving the dog in Norfolk the next time he shipped out. He had spoken to Yates – since leaving the ship, as the highest ranking officer in Norfolk, the lieutenant had become something of the base commander – about getting a house in the area where the Chandler and Tophet families, along with a number of other navy families, were living. Kara had suggested staying with her mother and Peter temporarily, but Danny wanted them to have a house, a real home. Halsey would love it there – all the open space and children – and Kara would be safe. In addition to the presence of Jed Chandler, who had proven himself to be capable in a crisis, the SEAL team back at Norfolk kept a regular patrol in the area. Maybe there would even be time before the Nathan James headed out again for Danny to set up a nursery. If they could ever agree on a theme, that was. Kara hadn't thought his suggestion of sports or trains would work for a girl, and after his experience with Sorenson and the toxic teddy bears, Danny had been turned off any type of animal décor.

"Caroline said you served in Afghanistan," Nick spoke from behind him.

Danny was tempted to tell the man to shut up, that there might be hostiles in the woods, but he knew that Wolf and Burk were north of them and would be first to run across a problem. Besides, snarling at the younger man would hardly win him any friends. "Did two tours."

"And Iraq too?"

"Spent a couple months there."

"He's a bona fide war hero," Ryan added, his voice reverent. "You came and spoke when I was in high school. You were raising money to help a little girl over in Afghanistan that lost her legs in a bombing. I hope she's okay."

Danny remembered those speeches, given at his father's request. The first had just after he had just finished SEAL training, proud to have made it through the grueling process but still wet under the ears, excited for the missions, confident that at the end of the day he would be coming home again. The next time had been after his first tour of Afghanistan, where he had lost friends, brothers-at-arms, and seen some of the worst of humanity (although nothing compared to what he had experienced since). He had been days away from returning to the States when his team had responded to a bombing at a nearby village. The village had been destroyed. He could still remember the frantic screams of children, the eerie silence from the center of the blast where people were beyond help. And then a father had charged at them, carrying the broken body of his daughter, begging them to help her. Their medic had patched her up and they had transported her to the nearest hospital, but the doctors had been unable to save her legs. He later learned that she had also lost her mother and two younger siblings to the carnage. Back in the States, his team had worked to raise the money for her medical care and to allow her village to rebuild. They had even managed to have the location added to the route the Red Cross travelled distributing vaccinations and other basic health care. Danny had been proud of the donations that poured in from Cornwell, his hometown coming together to support a little girl half the world away.

So much had changed since that day. Even a year ago, Danny would have assumed that Nick and Ryan could never understand what that little girl had gone through, what Danny had seen and done during his tours of duty. But they had lost as much – if not more – than he had. Two hundred people, Nick had said, two hundred people remained in a town of three thousand. The remainder killed not just by the pandemic, but through a horrific act of intentional violence. Nick and Ryan understood pain and horror and suffering as well as he did. Maybe more. They had seen friends and families die a painful death, their own lives reduced to days spent foraging for food and supplies and nights spent sleeping in a barn in an attempt to evade not just the virus but also those who took advantage of the lawless world. By contrast, Danny (for the most part) spent his nights in the relative comfort of the Nathan James, knowing that Kara was never more than 509 feet away, his wife and child as safe as possible in this insecure world. And yet, Ryan still remembered that little girl in Afghanistan.

"Me too." Danny stopped to look at Nick and Ryan. They looked so young, too young to have carried the responsibility handed to them. "What you did today – coming out here, protecting the people in that barn – was incredibly brave."

"Nothing like what you have done," Ryan mumbled, embarrassed.

Danny smiled. "There is nothing more honorable than taking care of others. You did that. And it makes you heroes in my book."

"Cheers to that!" Tex chimed in. Danny smiled as the two younger men stood up a little straighter, invigorated by the praise, their confidence boosted. It was only a few more minutes before they broke through the end of the woods, heading into a field of corn. Danny smiled at the sight, remembering the conversation of the day before. Kara one, Rickman zero. As they neared the barn, Danny held back, allowing Nick and Ryan to precede him so that the appearance of strangers did not startle anyone. As they entered the building, Mr. Will in the lead, the bustle of movement stopped as people eyed the new arrivals with suspicion. Danny stared around him. The barn had been turned into a tent city, a combination of actual tents and sheets hung around stalls, clothing, blankets and food spread everywhere.

"Everyone listen up!" Mr. Will called out. He motioned for Danny to join him on a small platform to the side of the door. Danny thought he heard his name a few times, but as he looked out into the crowd, he was surprised by how few faces he recognized. Mrs. Taylor, his eighth grade math teacher, a woman whose name he couldn't remember who worked at the library, Elijah Staub (who owned the barn they were standing in), the Methodist minister. The majority of the people standing before him now were younger, closer to Chris's age than his own, with several young children darting around the crowd. In his mind, Cornwall never changed, but it had been a long time since Danny had lived here. Enough time for a generation of children to become adults, apparently. "Most of you probably recognize Danny here, but for those who don't, he's Mark and Joanne Green's son, Caroline's brother. That's his team over there standing with Eddie Ward. They came here looking for us. They're going to help get us all out of here."

"Where's Caroline?" Someone called from the crowd. It occurred to Danny that his presence, along with Eddie, might not be reassuring. Anyone that knew him was aware of his friendship with Tom, and would have the same reservations that Caro had expressed. Ignoring the rage that bubbled up at the thought of Tom, Danny focused on the job at hand.

"Caro's back at the rendezvous point," Danny replied. "Her leg is in bad shape and needed some medical attention so we're getting our doctor to patch her up. The road south is clear right now. We'll take you all to Norwalk. There's no fighting there and you can get food and medical care."

"And we can get you the cure to the Red Flu," Eddie added. "Got a video here of how it works."

A murmur swept the crowd, then people began pushing in the direction of the small screen that Eddie was holding. Danny smiled wryly. It was a deception that they had used more than once, having someone contagious with the cure hold the video, thereby spreading the cure to people as they crowded close, without them even knowing. Although Danny had mixed feelings about the ruse, given the blatant lack of consent from those being exposed, practicality and expedience usually won the day. If Danny made a point of putting Mr. Will, Nick and Ryan in separate vehicles on the way south, chances were that everyone in this barn would be immune before the convoy even reached Norfolk.

In less than twenty minutes, everyone was ready to go, the vehicles stuffed to the brim with people and the few possessions that couldn't be left behind – photo albums, cell phones, a few toys and heirlooms. Nick and Ryan had helped Cruz gas up the trucks and vans (a job Cruz had volunteered for, obviously not entirely impervious to Danny's glowering glances in his direction), and Danny hoped there would be enough to get them all the way south without having to siphon any more gas. Danny made one final check with Burk and Wolf. "How's the road?"

"All good," Burk replied. "No road signs here, but we're on Route 7 near a building with a large moose head on the front."

Danny chuckled. "It's the fish and game club. Says so above the door."

"I had no idea you were such a hick," Burk tossed back.

Motioning for Cruz to head out, Danny swung up on the back of the first truck. "Cobra to base."

"Base here." It was Commander Garnett again. Damn it. Danny bit his lip to stop himself from demanding to know what was happening on the base. He had to trust that there was an innocent reason for the Captain, XO, and TAO to all be unavailable. If the base had been attacked, he assumed Garnett would have recalled Cobra, the timing of their mission not critical. The most likely explanation seemed to be some sort of medical emergency requiring the Captain and XO, both universal donors, to give blood while Kara assisted Doctors Scott and Rios. Still, Danny couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"We're heading south. Cobra will break with the convoy at Route 7 and head towards the primary objective, checking for additional survivors on the way. Vulture will take the convoy south, then loop back north. ETA for primary objective is two hours."

"Any hostiles reported?"

"Nothing yet, ma'am. Should know more once we get a few clicks north, we still have a lot of tree cover here."

"Roger that. Base out."

It took only a few minutes for them to reach the juncture where Wolf and Burk were waiting. Danny waved the remaining vehicles past, Eddie jumping off the back of a truck as it passed. Tex would grab the SUV that they had abandoned before their trip through the woods and swing back to meet them with Doctor Morrison and Rebecca in about twenty minutes. Cruz and Miller would join them again after escorting the survivors down to Norfolk. In the meantime, Cobra would clear Cornwall. Danny half hoped that they would run into Tom's gang of mercenaries, wanting nothing more than to look his former friend in the eyes as he demanded answers for what had happened here.

"This way," he directed, nodding towards Burk and Wolf, and heading up South Main Street (there was no real point to road signs when everyone knew the name of the street). The silence was deafening, the only sign of life a dairy cow wandering down the middle of the road near the Stillwell Farm. A quick search of the house determined that nobody was there, the family gone (or dead), and remainder of their herd probably eaten. The houses grew closer together as they headed towards the center of town. Danny had searched more homes than he could count in the past few months, checking for survivors or supplies, and he was used to the unnatural quiet, the staleness of the air, the dust that covered every surface. But searching homes of people that he knew was different, images from the past flitting through his mind at every turn. A livingroom where he had attended cub scout meetings, a family room where the soccer team had gathered after each match, the backyard firepit where he'd had his first drink. Some of the houses had been plundered, but most had the feeling that someone had simply closed the door and never returned. The old mustang that Eddie and his father had restored after his return from Afghanistan, struggling mentally and physically, still stood on blocks in the neat garage. Danny watched as Eddie gathered a few photo albums, then left his home without a word. Rebecca's house had been locked, the spare key still hidden under the third stone paw print stone. She had made it only to the doorway before retreating to the SUV, the grief of learning, for certain, that her parents did not survive still too fresh. Danny had gathered some pictures and her mother's jewelry for her, packing them into a bag for Rebecca to look at once she was ready.

At Tom's house a foot of fallen leaves and debris filled the pool the boys had swum in every day as teenagers. Upon returning to Cornwall after college, Tom had moved into the apartment above the garage, close enough to look after his single mother while still having his own space. Danny and Burk tore through every inch of the place, looking for any indication of who this new enemy was, but the apartment looked no different than a thousand other homes, a pile of newspapers in the corner, a half-done crossword puzzle on the table, a small radio and solar crank next to the window. There was nothing to evidence what Tom had done, or who he had done it with.

At the town library, a towering building built in 1896, birds had made their way inside through several broken windows, nesting in the pages of the books. As a child Danny had come here at least weekly as his parents dragged him to various community events – circle time when he was younger, lectures and book signings as he grew older. At the time he had hated it, wanting nothing more than to be outside, feeling constrained inside the quiet walls. But now the memories were sweet, taking him back to a time before all of the devastation, all of the turmoil, of the last year. It felt wrong leaving the place as it was, allowing the birds to continue their destruction, but there had been no time to cover the holes in the shattered glass.

Finally they approached his parents' house, on the very north end of town, passing by the century old cemetery. Bulldozers stood at the ready, followed by rows up rows of fresh graves, standing out brown against the dying green grass, crosses stuck in haphazardly, small torn pictures nailed to them. A half mile beyond the cemetery, up on a hill, stood the home he had grown up in. Approaching the porch, Danny noticed the smashed windows and bullet holes in the door. Inside, the house was in shambles; nothing like the cozy, well-maintained home that he remembered. Clothing and books had been thrown everywhere. The piano was smashed. Cabinets open and doors broken. His father's office, always so orderly, was covered in ripped paper and leaves. The last time Danny had seen his father was in this room, the older man rambling enthusiastically about the colleges that they had visited with Chris and the high school football team's chances at the state championship (a passion that Danny's mother viewed with extreme disapproval). Danny rested his hand on the desk for a moment, playing the moment over in his mind, trying to remember every second. But the memory was already fading, only his father's impassioned face remaining clear. Checking his own room, Danny was unsurprised to find it filled with beds. Rebecca had mentioned that his father and Caro had turned the house into a safe zone, and the only remainder of his presence in this room was the planetarium that still hung from the ceiling. Pulling down the small globes that he had made so many years ago with his father, Danny tucked them carefully into a bag to take with him.

Stepping outside, Danny's gaze passed over the empty chicken coop, the over grown garden, the ragged flag still hanging on the porch, his mind not ready to accept what his eyes saw. Last night when they were talking, Rebecca had confessed that she imagined returning to Cornwall and finding that nothing had changed, like a fairy tale. He had brushed off the comment, but now he realized that in a deep, hidden place in his mind, he had hoped the same. That Cornwall's location in a rural corner of the state, far away from any major roads, of no significant strategic value, would have protected it. But that had not happened. Cornwall was a ghost town. His house was destroyed. His father was dead. Caro on her way south. His mother and Chris lost, perhaps forever. There was nothing left for him here.

His home was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

 

"Who is it?" Kara asked Bertrise, unable to see out the window from the hospital bed that she was currently stuck in, an IV drip hooked to her arm, belly band across her stomach. Before leaving, Rachel had given her strict instructions not to get up unless she needed to use the bathroom. Kara hadn't argued, despite the momentary panic that had gripped her.

"Lieutenant Nishioka's team," the teenager answered, settling back into the chair she had been occupying for the last four hours, not quite meeting Kara's eyes.

"Will was on Nishioka's team today if I recall correctly," Kara replied with a slight smile. "Why don't you go down and say hello?"

Kara watched the blush spread across Bertrise's face. A bond had developed between the two women during the vaccination trial – as it had with all those present – and Kara had come to see Bertrise as the closest thing that she would ever have to a little sister. She had enjoyed seeing the relationship between the teenager and the young ensign grow, both of them taking things slowly due to Bertrise's age, as well as the restrictions imposed by the realities of life on the Nathan James. Recently Bertrise had confessed that Will had kissed her, both elated and abashed by her first experience with physical desire. Kara couldn't help but think back to her own first brush with love, a serious young man named Lucas McIntosh who went to a rival high school. They had dated for her senior year, after having met at a track meet, before breaking up when they left for college. At the time, Kara had been devastated, totally smitten with Lucas's big blue eyes, blond curly locks, and athletic build. Not unlike a young Danny Green would have looked, Kara realized with amusement.

"I can find him later," Bertrise replied quickly. She picked up the cross-stitch that she had been working on.

"Are you sure?" Kara pressed. "They may have news of the Captain and Doctor Scott."

Earlier that afternoon, the Captain had succeeded in making contact with someone in Massachusetts claiming to represent "the New Massachusetts alliance" and requesting a personal meeting with Doctor Scott to discuss distribution of the cure within their "territory." Kara hadn't been present at the time, already stuck in this bed, and had received her information second-hand, but she had no doubt how Captain Chandler would have viewed such an invite. He had left thirty minutes later, accompanied by the XO, two teams pulled from their primary mission in Providence, as well as a number of locals including Officer Rickman. Even so, Kara had been surprised that the Captain allowed Rachel to accompany the group at all, given how protective he had become since the incident in St. Louis, but Rachel had presumably given him little choice. In many ways Captain Chandler had met his match the day that Rachel Scott arrived on the Nathan James.

"Perhaps I'll go check then," Bertrise finally agreed. "I won't be long. I need to finish this before the baby arrives. Well, not the name, of course. It will go on the top, right here, once you decide."

Bertrise had been working on a cross-stitch for the baby's nursery (assuming they ever set one up), an intricate picture of the moon rising over the rainforest, a monkey sleeping on a tree. Kara had been nervous when she first saw the pattern, worried that Danny would associate the image with Nicaragua. Thankfully he had understood that this was meant to be Jamaica, Bertrise's way of sharing a piece of her heritage, her life before the Nathan James, a time that she rarely mentioned due to the painful memories.

"It's lovely, Bertrise. This child is so lucky to have so many people that love her – or him – already."

Bertrise left the room after making sure that Kara had a bucket within easy reach. Kara had no desire to throw up on herself – again. Taking a deep breath, she fought against the tears that she felt welling in her eyes, her hand creeping down to her belly. Had it really been only this morning that Danny had left, headed towards Cornwall? It seemed like years had passed since the moment that Kara headed towards the hospital to find Rachel, intending only to be gone for a few minutes, just long enough to get something to calm her stomach.

_Kara caught Rachel on the second floor, leaving the room of one of the sicker patients, an elderly man suffering from diabetes that had been untreated for the past several months as medication ran short._

_"Kara," Rachel said, surprised. With Cobra Team, as well as several other ground teams, out in the fields, Kara typically stayed close to base to coordinate any necessary assistance. "I didn't expect to see you here today."_

_"Actually, I'm here to ask you if you have anything that I can take for my stomach," Kara admitted. "I keep throwing up. Commander Slattery says the noise is making him twitchy."_

_It took Rachel a moment, but then a smile crossed her face. "Well, that's a new expression for me. I'll have to remember it. We can talk in here."_

_Kara followed Rachel into an empty hospital rooms, the most recent occupant having been released that morning. "I felt fine when I woke up but since breakfast nothing will stay down. The baby has been quiet as well." Kara knew a note of worry had crept into her voice when Rachel immediately pulled out her stethoscope. She perched nervously on the edge of the stripped bed._

_"Babies can be tricky little creatures," Rachel replied smoothly. "I'm sure that your little one is just taking a nice long nap."_

_"There we go. Strong and …" Rachel's smile suddenly changed to a concentrated frown, her voice fading out._

_Kara's breath caught. "Is something wrong?"_

_"How long have you been having contractions, Kara?" Rachel's voice was calm but her face was serious as she set a hand on Kara's bulging belly and checked her watch._

_"Contractions?" Kara was caught completely off guard. "Like those twinges? I thought contractions hurt." Like in television shows, were the woman in labor was always screaming bloody murder._

_"Not right away. Plus, women react differently to labor," Rachel explained. "Nausea can be one of the first signs. Your body's way of dealing with pain."_

_After a few minutes of silence, Rachel checked her watch again. "About eight minutes apart."_

_"That's bad, right?" Kara met Rachel's eyes directly._

_"A lot of things can bring on labor at this point. Dehydration, overexertion, sex," Kara hoped that she wasn't blushing right now, she and Rachel were not that close, "changes in hormones. Any number of things really. Let me grab the ultrasound machine and we'll take a look."_

_Kara had taken the time to pop down the hall and have the guard on duty advise the XO that she would be gone a little longer than anticipated and to locate clean sheets for the bed._

_When Rachel reappeared a few minutes later, pushing an ultrasound machine, she had Doctor Taka, one of the local physicians, with her. Kara had met the man the day before and was aware that, as an emergency room doctor with more than twenty years of experience, Doctor Taka had far more familiarity with pregnancy than Rachel did. Still, Kara couldn't help by feel wary, the events in Baltimore still too fresh in her mind for her to be comfortable with a strange doctor. But Rachel, being Rachel, had anticipated her reaction and O'Connor appeared at the doorway, back to them. Although O'Connor was technically assigned to Rachel's protection detail, she generally left him at the entrance to the building once it had been cleared, insisting that having a guard follow her around scared her patients and the other doctors. The only reason for him to be here now was for Kara._

_"Doctor Taka has kindly agreed to consult with me," Rachel explained. "As you know, my experience in this area is somewhat limited."_

_Although Rachel had delivered her share of babies while working for Doctors Without Borders, it had been in war zones where prenatal care and medication to stop pre-term labor were unheard of luxuries. It had only taken a minute to set up the ultrasound machine and connect the belly monitor designed to track any contractions. Kara relaxed as the baby formed on the screen, his or her hand in mouth, sucking a thumb, the heartbeat sounding strong. But Doctor Taka's friendly manner became more serious as he watched the strip of paper coming out of the monitor._

_"How far along are you?" He asked, the question directed to both women._

_"Thirty-five week gestation is based on original confirmation of HCG in the system consistent with a pregnancy of six to eight weeks," Rachel responded, saving Kara from the embarrassment of going through the possible timeline. Kara still found the idea of discussing her sex life – even with a doctor – to be embarrassing at best._

_"HCG is not the best indicator of date of conception," he responded. "Did you perform a first trimester ultrasound?"_

_Not Rachel. Doctor Hamada. For an instant Kara was back in the examination room, her hands and feet bound, watching the needle approach her stomach as her baby wiggled on the screen. The next few minutes were blurry in her mind, her entire focus having been on getting herself free and out of that hell of a room. After her escape with Rachel, Kara had managed to hold it together until Danny appeared at the tunnel entrance with the Master Chief and Alisha. The second that Danny had pulled her aside, knowing without being told that something horrible must have happened for her to be at Avocet, Kara had started shaking. Unable to find the words to explain what Doctor Hamada had planned to do, she had simply blurted out "they tried to take the baby." The suffocating embrace that Danny had given her, despite the presence of the Master Chief, had told her how badly the news had shaken him._

_Rachel didn't go into detail, however. "Consistent with a range of thirty-four to thirty-six weeks."_

_"We should perform an amniocentesis to check lung develop…"_

_"No!" Kara didn't wait for the man to finish his statement. There was not a chance in hell that he was getting anywhere near her baby with a needle. Taka paused, apparently taken aback by the ferocity of her response, his eyes going from hers to Rachel's and back again. Kara forced herself to speak calmly. "I don't like needles."_

_The man nodded, accepting her answer. "I'd suggest a magnesium drip to stop labor, as well as a steroid series for the lungs since gestational age is not confirmed."_

And Rachel had agreed. Which was why Kara was sitting her, stuck in this bed, the magnesium giving her a pounding headache. Just then there was a perfunctory knock at the door and O'Connor's head appeared. "Doctor Taka to see you, Lieutenant."

Leaving the door open, O'Connor ushered in the doctor, turning so his back was to them. The doctor frowned at the armed man. "Should you be here?"

"My orders are not to leave anyone alone with Lieutenant Foster, sir," O'Connor replied evenly. Kara wasn't sure if it was Rachel's doing, or the Captain, but O'Connor's presence had been a comfort over the last few hours. Doctor Taka apparently did not feel the same way. She wondered what Taka would think if he knew that she had her service pistol stashed in the drawer next to the hospital bed – just in case.

After greeting her, Doctor Taka focused on the strips of paper that the machines had been steadily putting out, his expression serious. Kara bit down on her lip as the silence stretched. Unable to wait any longer, she blurted, "It's not working, is it?"

"The magnesium has slowed but not stopped your contractions and the baby isn't responding well," Doctor Taka explained. Flipping the strips of paper for Kara to observe, he pointed to several spikes and dips. "This is the baby's heart rate. As you can see, it's decelerating with each contraction. That could mean that the cord is compressed."

Panic gripped Kara. "Can you do something to fix it?"

"Our best option is still to stop labor," the doctor explained. He smiled at her in what she assumed was supposed to be a reassuring manner. "If we can't stop labor, given the fetal distress, we may need to perform a c-section. Nothing to worry about, thought. I've had babies out in less than five minutes and you are far enough along that the baby will be fine, especially with a full treatment of the steroids. It's a waiting game at this point. Giving those steroids as much time as possible to work."

Kara nodded, unable to form a single word as the doctor left, her head spinning, the words "fetal distress" echoing through her mind. While she was alone, Kara allowed a few tears to escape. She couldn't contemplate the possibility of losing this baby now, not after everything that they had been through – the virus, Baltimore, the missile attacks on the Nathan James. She felt like she was failing her – or him – her body trying to eject this child too early. She had never imagined giving birth like this, in a strange city, no home to return to, nothing ready. Kara didn't even have anything for the baby to wear – assuming that she would have a few weeks in Norfolk to take care of such things. And she hadn't known how hard to do this alone. She had never expected Danny to be there for this baby's birth, but right now she would give anything to see him walk through that door, to pick up her hand and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

The door opened again and Kara brushed the tears off her face as Andrea and Alisha entered, both carrying large bundles. Bertrise followed them, a broad smile on her face.

"We thought you might want some company," Andrea explained. "Doctor Scott said you were going to be here for a bit. She's on her way. Just finishing up the Captain."

"Have you heard from Danny?" Kara blurted out the obvious question.

"Green had just made it to Hartford and they were about to clear the hospital when I left the hotel." Andrea replied after confirming that the door to the hallway was closed. "He located his sister. I spoke with her, actually. She had a run into with a group of military types a couple months ago. Captain thinks that they might be connected to this 'Massachusetts alliance' and wanted a bit more information, but the woman refused to give Miller any particulars, insisting on talking to 'someone more qualified.'"

"Danny says she's stubborn as a mule," Kara murmured, the tears threatening to fall were happy ones this time. Danny had found Caro.

"You may have your hands full for the next eighteen years. I get the impression that tenacity is a Green family trait," Andrea said with a laugh. "Captain Chandler says he'll patch you through later tonight, once the team is settled. And before you start arguing, Green's a smart man. I'm sure he's figured out that something is going on. No point keeping him in suspense."

Kara couldn't speak around the lump in her throat so she just nodded. Talking to Danny, even for a moment, would make this all so much easier.

"Brought you something more comfortable to wear," Alisha spoke up. "And I grabbed a laptop so we can listen to some music. Maybe watch a movie later. Oh, and I planned to give this to you once we got back to Norfolk but I thought you might need it sooner." Alisha set a tiny "Navy baby" onesie on the bed before Kara.

The tears that Kara had been holding back flowed over as she stroked the tiny outfit. Kara reached out to grasp Alisha's hand, eyes locked on Andrea. Danny might not be here, but she wasn't alone. Her family was here. "Thank you. Thank you all."


	14. Chapter 14

 

The sun was setting as Cobra pulled into the parking lot of Children's Hospital in Hartford. They had spent longer at the Massachusetts border than anticipated, shocked to find a no-man's land had been created between the two states, the trees bulldozed down to form a clear line of sight and deter anyone attempting to cross. On the far side of the clearing, Danny could see patrols, as well as wire fencing, giving it the appearance of a prison. He and Wolf had checked the border at four different spots, adhering carefully to Commander Garnett's orders not to be seen, and found the same conditions. There were definitely people here – people that must have heard the Nathan James' broadcasts – raising the question of why they had chosen not to reply. Were these people part of the military group that Tom had joined? The remainder of the Massachusetts National Guard? Immunes?

Danny looked up at the large red Xs that had been sprayed across the exterior walls of the hospital. The building looked intact, at least. As the SUV halted near the entrance to the dark building, Danny saw Caro reach for the door.

"No. You all," he indicated her, Rebecca and Doctor Morrison, "need to stay here until we clear the building." Danny had been less than impressed to see Caro when Miller and Cruz caught up to the rest of the team twenty minutes ago. Miller had stumbled all over himself to explain why she wasn't down in Norwalk where she should be. Cruz had just shrugged, not trying to offer an excuse. _"She wanted to come and if we left her she just would have followed us. Our options were to take her to New London or bring her here."_ Danny couldn't disagree with the assessment. If Caro wanted to come to Hartford, she would have found a way to do so, a little thing like an order from her brother not getting in her way. Still, he would have preferred if Cruz hadn't been smiling as he spoke, a little too pleased with how the situation turned out.

"Which floor is the lab on?" Burk asked.

"Third floor, towards the back. Behind the construction signs. The wing wasn't open yet," Rebecca answered, her voice quaking. She was pale, her eyes large with shock, obviously traumatized by what she had seen and heard in the last few hours. She gripped Caro's hand tightly.

"This shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes," Danny said, trying to reassure her. He glanced at Caro. Someone, probably Rebecca, had rewrapped her arm and fixed the sling, and it looked like she had washed her hands and face. Caro's eyebrow rose, looking at him defiantly.

"Go. We're fine."

Closer to thirty minutes had passed before they finished clearing the building, the task made more difficult by the setting sun and the number of rooms that needed to be cleared, many filled with the corpses of those who had perished here. The pharmacy had been ransacked, of course, as well as the cafeteria and gift shop. As they pushed through the plastic sheets that separated the area of new construction, Danny was relieved to see that the area looked relatively untouched. The air was better there too. In the back, large boxes mixed with various equipment, some of which Danny recognized as similar to that in Doctor Scott's lab. It appeared that they had hit pay dirt.

Danny took the time to move the corpses from the entrance and stairwell, Burk and Cruz helping, as well as washing his hands, before heading back to the SUV. But even so, Rebecca's reaction to the destruction of the hospital had been difficult to watch, her tears when she entered the building and saw the damage that had been done, the hand she brought abruptly to her mouth as the scent of death hit her, the growing comprehension in her eyes as he blocked the entrance to the staff offices. Her reaction reminded him of how he felt on the cruise ship, the first time he had encountered the virus, and how immune he had become to the horror. Thankfully Caro had taken charge, grabbing Rebecca by the arm and pulling her towards the stairway, murmuring something in her ear that Danny couldn't quite catch. Caro hung back for a moment, allowing him to catch up.

"Where did you stash the bodies?" Her voice was calm, as though she was asking him whether it was raining. How had this become the new normal for all of them? When had he ceased to see people and begun to see only corpses? When had Caro? Misunderstanding the reason for his pause, Caro added, "I had to go over to Memorial for medicine. I saw what it looked like. You don't need to shield me."

"The cafeteria," he replied finally. "The third floor smells better. We broke a couple windows to let fresh air in."

There was a short pause, then Caro gave him a sad smile. "You can be a good guy, Danny."

"I'm waiting for the punchline," he responded with a laugh. But Caro just shook her head.

"I mean it." Caro shook her head, her lips pursing. "I don't tell you that stuff because it's weird. You're my brother for crying out loud. But you are. And I'm glad that you found someone that makes all of this a little more bearable. I'm curious to meet her. Kara."

Danny smiled as Caro said Kara's name. She said it slowly, as though trying it on for size. "So you and Cruz, huh? Wasn't expecting that."

Caro rolled her eyes. "What did you think I was doing in Lejeune? You and Rebecca would disappear for hours and I'd be stuck hanging out with the guys. Frankie was a total stick in the mud, pissed about Rebecca being there, and Bercham couldn't keep his hands to himself even though he was married at the time. Cruz was the only acceptable alternative. So we hung out."

Danny considered her words, embarrassed to realize that he had never actually considered what Caro was up to on those visits, too focused on Rebecca during the little time that they had together, assuming Caro was capable of taking care of herself. "Just don't tease him, okay? He's been through a lot the past few months."

Caro gazed at him thoughtfully before starting up the stairs with a flounce. "Haven't we all."

By the time they arrived on the third floor, Doctor Morrison had already begun examining the equipment. He turned towards Danny. "It's all here. We even have some of the original boxes, which should make it safer to transport."

"Cobra to base."

"Status Green?" Danny felt a bit of relief when the Captain responded. Kara would have been his top choice, but at least the Captain answering was within the norm.

"Primary objective has been accomplished. Looks like everything is here. We'll load at first light. Everything set for the distribution tomorrow?"

"Lots of radio chatter," Captain Chandler responded. "You should get a decent turnout. May not be the crowd we want, though. XO and I had an informative meeting with representatives of the 'New Massachusetts alliance' this afternoon. Their rhetoric was a bit too Granderson for my comfort. They seemed a little _too_ interested in our plans to distribute the cure."

Well, that did explain where the Captain and XO were this afternoon. But what about Kara? There was no way Captain Chandler would have taken her with them. "Think we'll have a problem, sir?"

"Not sure. XO will be there by 0800 with backup. He can fill you in on the details." Danny was about to signoff when the Captain continued. "I need to talk to Green alone."

A cold chill ran down Danny's spine, and for an instant he was back on the Nathan James on that hot, windless day during the vaccination trial, watching the Captain walk across the deck towards him, knowing that his presence could not be good news. Certain that Kara was dead. His eyes met Burk's, watching as the man pulled out his earpiece, his expression serious. Putting his hand up to his ear, as though that would somehow make the news easier to bear, Danny turned away from the group, walking towards the far wall, squaring his shoulders. Behind him he thought he could hear Caro arguing with someone. A quick glance showed Burk blocking her way, his arms crossed firmly across his chest, no give in his position.

"I'm alone, sir."

"I thought you should know that Kara's in labor." Danny leaned a hand against the wall. He had _known_ something was wrong earlier, damn it. But he had thought that they had weeks left, another month. And the Captain wasn't done. "The baby is not tolerating it well. Doctor Scott may need to perform a c-section."

A c-section. Chris had been born by emergency c-section, and Danny remembered how hard the recovery had been for his mother. No climbing, no lifting, no driving, no exercise. How could Kara even get back on the Nathan James if she couldn't climb steps? Would she – would they – be stuck in New London for weeks (because there wasn't a chance in hell he was leaving her and a baby here)? How would they get home to Norfolk?

"Is she okay?" His voice hoarse.

"She's holding up." The Captain's voice remained gentle, calm, compassionate. Danny wondered if the Captain had been on the other end of a call like this once upon a time. "I'll try to patch you through if you're ready."

"I'm ready."

It took a moment for the connection to go through.

_"Danny?"_ Kara's voice sounded husky, her breathing choppy, as though she wasn't getting enough air. He suspected that she was crying. He took a deep breath, wishing more than anything that he could pick up her hand.

"Hi sweetheart. I heard that peanut is giving you a bit of trouble."

"A bit but we're okay." The labored sound of her voice didn't match the words. "Rachel tried to stop the contractions, but this baby apparently decided that today was the day and is not backing down. I've changed my mind, by the way."

"About?" Danny felt lost.

"This is definitely a boy. A girl would never be this much trouble."

Despite himself, Danny laughed. That was Kara for you. Alone, in labor, and making him laugh. "We can have a girl next time."

"About that, all of that talk about another one? Forget it. You can sleep on the couch for the next twenty years."

"The couch, huh? I can work with that. Much better than the cold storage locker. It was two days before I thawed out." He smiled as he heard her laugh. "Is Rachel there with you?"

"We're having a girls' night here," Kara replied. "Andrea, Alisha, Rachel and Bertrise are keeping me company. They stepped out so we could talk."

Not for the first time, Danny marveled at the tight bonds that Kara had built with the other women on the Nathan James. "I wish that I was there."

"You'll probably be back hours before the baby arrives. I got a shot for the baby's lungs around 1300. Doctor Taka- he's one of the emergency room doctors here – wants to give it at least twenty-four hours to work." They both knew that she was lying. Cobra wasn't scheduled to leave Hartford until 1400 tomorrow afternoon, and then it would take another couple of hours to get back to New London.

Danny hated the idea of Kara in a strange hospital, relying on some unfamiliar doctor, even if Rachel was there as well. "I'll get there as soon as I can. I love you. Both of you."

"I love you too. Don't worry about us. We're fine."

Smile fading as soon as the radio clicked off, Danny kicked the wall, his steel toed boot cracking the plaster. He had never expected to be there when the baby was born, assuming that he would be back on board the Nathan James. But now that the moment was here, he realized how much he wanted to be with Kara right now, holding her hand, wiping her forehead, making her laugh. He wanted to see this child born, to cut the umbilical cord, to count tiny little fingers and toes, to see Kara's face when she held their baby for the first time. To have something normal – something joyful – in this bizarre world that they now lived in.

A moment later Burk stepped into his range of vision, propping his shoulder against the wall, waiting silently. They had been here before. The first night of the vaccination trials, when Burk had sat with Danny until the early hours of the morning. The night after Ravit's wake, when they had stayed up all night on the deck. A friendship based on knowing when to talk - and when to stay silent.

"She's in labor."

Burk nodded, holding up a deck of cards. "Texas hold-em or 7-card draw?"

"7-card draw." Turning, Danny realized that Tex had pulled a table from the corner and arranged some boxes for chairs. Cruz and Miller were missing, presumably on first watch. Caro sat in the corner by Rebecca, her arm around the other woman. For the second time since they had arrived at the hospital, Danny thanked his lucky stars that Caro had bullied Miller into letting her come to Hartford. There was no way he could deal with Rebecca right now.

"Cold storage locker, huh?" Burk said, shuffling the cards. "I hadn't considered that."

Danny couldn't help the smile that played across his mouth as he remember those heady early days in the arctic with Kara, getting her alone every chance that he could, nothing to worry about except getting caught in a compromising position. Not that everything had changed since then, Danny acknowledged, he still couldn't keep his hands off of her. "Did I say something about the cold storage locker?" he replied deadpan, causing Tex, Eddie and Burk to laugh as they settled into the game.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny stared up at the sky. It was amazing how bright the stars were with no light pollution, almost as bright as they had been in the arctic. He and Kara had met out on the deck late at night sometimes, snatching a few moments together before the frigid cold drove them back inside. Danny looked in Caro's direction, although he couldn't see anything more than the outline of her body in the dark. "How did Dad die?"

"We had been taking people in at the house but there wasn't enough room. You know Dad – he couldn't turn anyone away. So he opened up the school. But someone got exposed. Dad stayed to take care of them. And got sick, of course." Caro paused. "The last time I talked to him was through a second story window. He told me to stay put. To wait for you. He was sure that you were coming."

"I should have come back earlier," Danny replied, his fists clenching. "Maybe I could have saved—"

Caro cut him off. "Maybe. But what about Kara and the baby? Dad wouldn't have wanted you to leave them."

That was true. Danny's father had been devoted his life to his family – to his children. Mark Green had been everything that a father should be – loving, patient, fun, enthusiastic. His favorite holiday had been Halloween, and there had been a contest in the Green house every year to see who could come up with the most creative costume. (Danny's all-time favorite was the time Caro went as a bag of jelly beans, the balloons popping with every step she took.) Mark had attended every dance recital and sports event, cheering his children on relentlessly no matter how badly they performed. He never complained about the constant stream of children or teenagers that could be found inside the house watching television or playing games, or outside playing paintball, instead often surprising them with pizza or snacks.

Mark had been everything that Danny wanted to be as a father, and he would have been overjoyed to learn that his son was starting his own family.

"When I think about what you went through. What Tom did." Danny's voice shook with anger. "I might have been able to stop it."

"Or you might be dead," Caro pointed out. "You can't save everyone, Danny."

For a moment, Danny tried to imagine what might have happened if he and Kara had left the Nathan James the first time it made port in Norfolk. How different his life might have been. How different things in Cornwall might have been. His father might be alive, for one. But he wouldn't have been in Florida to stop Niels from conducting his "experiments" with the teddy bears. He wouldn't have been in New Orleans to help pull those people out of the water. He wouldn't have been with Slattery to help sink the Ramseys' sub. It was impossible to know what would have happened if he had been here instead.

"What's she like?" Caro asked after a few minutes. "Kara."

Danny paused, a thousand images of Kara tumbling through his mind – her standing in CIC, hands on hips, as she passed out orders – in casual clothes, hair loose, eyes laughing – the cute gap in her teeth when she smiled – her concentration as she did her daily exercise routine – the way she pulled her arms into her sweatshirt when she was cold – her head against his shoulder as they watched old Battlestar Galactica episodes – her and Alisha giggling together as they shared a joke – the way she rubbed her stomach absently when she was thinking – the tears in her eyes when she saw her mother in Norfolk – the way her eyes darkened when they were kissing – the cheeky grin that appeared when she was teasing him – the anxious expression she had worn when he had first woken up from Dengue Fever.

"She's tough."

That apparently was not the answer Caro was expecting. "Tough? That's the best you can do?"

Danny tried to explain. "She's this little thing, but when she gives an order, you don't question it. She's confident. She trusts herself. And she doesn't pull any punches. She has no problem calling someone out – calling me out. When she messes up, she takes her lashes, and she expects everyone else to as well. She doesn't back down."

"You mean she doesn't need you to take care of her," Caro replied.

Danny laughed mirthlessly. "No, Kara can take care of herself. She always has. Her mother, well, she's struggled, and her father died before Kara was born. Kara doesn't even have a picture of the two of them together. I know that bothers her. I think that might be the only thing that really scares her – the possibility of being left to raise the baby alone."

"Rebecca said that the two of you were married. Because of the baby?" Caro's voice was curious, non-judgmental.

"Yes … and no." Danny's lip twisted. "I know that's what everyone thinks. Pretty sure that's what Kara thinks. And I probably would have waited if it wasn't for the baby. It's funny. I never really understood how you could make a snap decision about something important. I thought that you were being stubborn – refusing to change your mind because that would mean you screwed up. But that's how I felt – how I still feel – about Kara. Almost from the moment we met, I couldn't imagine my life without her. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her."

"She's in labor," Danny admitted after another pause. "That was what the Captain wanted to tell me."

"But you're still here," Caro replied, her voice neutral.

"Mission comes first. We already broadcast a call for everyone to meet at the stadium tomorrow, and I need to be here in case it all goes south. That's the job."

Danny waited for the lecture that he was certain was coming, but Caro surprised him. "The last time I saw you, I said that you had never made a decision in your life – that's why you joined the navy. So someone would tell you what to do."

"I remember," Danny commented dryly.

"I thought about that a lot the last couple of months, especially after Tom was gone. Every time I turned around, there was a decision to make. Big ones, of course. Where to stay and who to trust. But also constant little decisions - who to send on patrol, how many bullets we could spare for hunting, how much water we could drink in a day, where to check for food. And my decisions didn't impact just me. They impacted everyone. When I made the wrong decision, people went hungry or got hurt or died." Caro's voice dipped to a whisper. "You make those decisions every day. Like now. You could leave tonight. But you stayed because those people tomorrow need you, we need you. I get it now."

Danny reached out and rested his arm over Caro's shoulders, hugging her to him as they sat silently until the first rays of sunlight passed over the horizon.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N - I borrowed a line from scousedancer in this chapter. So thank you for that!_

CHAPTER 15

At 0800 sharp, Danny stood in the parking lot of the hospital, waiting for Slattery to arrive with Vulture team and a few volunteers from New London to boost the number of contagious cure carriers present at the stadium. They had finished loading the equipment thirty minutes ago and Danny was currently in the process of wiring Rebecca with a microphone, in case she was separated from the group. He gave her an assessing look. She looked like she was about to be sick, or maybe pass out. He knew that she had barely slept last night. He had heard her tossing and turning, suspecting that she had been thinking not just about her parents, but also her former colleagues, many of whom had probably died in this building.

"Maybe you should head back with the equipment. You look pretty shaken."

Rebecca squared her shoulders. "You aren't sending Caroline away."

"Caro can take care of herself," Danny responded. "Besides, she wouldn't go. Did you miss the part where I told her she couldn't come in the first place? Lot of good that did. I think she's fundamentally incapable of obeying an order. She never would have survived in the navy."

Rebecca smiled slightly. "I'm good. I can do this." Danny gazed at her uncertainly. If there was a problem at the stadium, he didn't need anyone panicking unnecessarily. Apparently sensing his thoughts, Rebecca gave him a mulish look. "I've spent the last year watching people die and there was nothing that I could do. Today I _finally_ have a chance to save people. I am not leaving."

Danny nodded slowly. He _could_ order her south with the convoy. Slattery would back him up and Rebecca wasn't Caro, who would fight him tooth and nail. But after all of that time in New London, caring for the sick, the dying, making decisions of who to save, didn't Rebecca deserve this moment? "Make sure to stick close to Miller, just in case."

It was only a few more minutes before Slattery arrived, swinging out of the truck he was riding in, a grin on his face. "Morning boys. Ready for a little excitement?"

"And here I thought we were going to the copacabana," Tex joked. "What are we expecting anyway, boss?"

"The Captain and I met up yesterday with a group calling themselves the New Massachusetts alliance. They claim to control the state west of Boston. Doctor Scott tested their blood and these people are _not_ Immunes." Slattery let that sink in. "Instead, they appear to be taking advantage of the current lack of leadership to establish their own territory. Their operations mimic military – they probably have some former members in their ranks – and their motus operandi is to eliminate anyone they deem expendable to preserve spare resources. We aren't expecting an assault. They don't seem to have those numbers. It's more likely to be an attempt to cause panic, perhaps a small explosion or passing out contaminated food or water."

"They used arsenic in Cornwall. It's a slow acting poison. People might not get sick until days later." Doctor Morrison noted.

"Which is why we need to stay on alert at all times," Slattery confirmed. "We cannot have this turn into another situation like New Orleans."

Everyone considered the XO's words silently. Coming on the heels of the Immunes' misinformation campaigns, another situation where civilians were harmed, apparently at the hands of the United States Navy, would be disastrous. As the teams began to form – several of the men that came north with Slattery would be heading south immediately with the equipment that Doctor Milowsky needed for Solace – Slattery pulled Danny aside. "You look like crap."

Danny couldn't dispute the statement. He had changed his shirt and washed up best he could with the bottled water they were carrying, but two days spent travelling, climbing through the woods, and then moving equipment (and bodies) had done a number on his vest and pants. And lack of sleep probably hadn't helped. "Showers are out of order."

Slattery barked out a laugh. "I figured that out from the smell. You're ripe."

"How's Kara doing?" Danny needed to know, but still dreaded the answer.

"Her water broke a couple hours ago," Slattery replied, confirming what Danny had feared. "You ready to be a daddy?"

"Where you there when…" Danny began but stopped, unsure whether Slattery would want to discuss his children, given that they were either dead or missing. It felt strange, asking his senior officer something personal, but there was no one else he could talk to about this. Danny – and Kara, of course – were the first of the junior officers to have a child and while Danny trusted Tex with his life, the man had definitely made some mistakes when it came to fatherhood, mistakes that Danny had no intention of replicating.

"Only for Lucas. I was out to sea when the girls were born. It's a tough thing. Missing the birth of a child. But the first time you look down at that little face – whether the baby is a minute old or a month old – you want that moment to last forever. It's indescribable." Slattery's expression was far away. "Just stay focused and you'll be there soon enough."

Danny had learned from the near miss at Gitmo. It was the reason that Burk and Miller would be shadowing Caro and Rebecca as they moved through the crowd, and he had assigned himself to a location across the stadium. It was the reason that he had separated Cruz and Caro, not wanting to put the man in a compromising position. He had gotten used to blocking Kara out on regular missions (for the most part), secure in the knowledge that she was safe on the Nathan James or at home base, surrounded by others. But right now it felt impossible to stop his mind from wandering over and over again to what was happening in New London, how Kara was doing, whether the baby had made an appearance yet. He knew how dangerous such a lapse could be, not just because of Gitmo, but also because of what happened at Lomas Point. Once he had seen the guns, the smoke rising from the Nathan James as she barreled into range, his only thought had been to take out the Immune leader before he could fire. To save Kara and the baby. He had been sloppy, and he had taken a bullet for it. It had been luck, not training, that saved his life that day. He could not count on being lucky again.

"I don't know if I can do that, sir." The second that the words were out of his mouth Danny wished that he could grab them back, not wanting disappoint the man (again), to have Slattery lose faith in him. But Slattery surprised him.

"I read your record before you boarded the Nathan James. Found it was pretty funny that you barely passed your skiing qualifier and were leading a team to the arctic," Slattery snorted. "Later it wasn't so funny, when we found out just how important Doctor Scott was. So why do you think your team – you – were handpicked to guard the most important woman on the planet? Do you think it was because of your piss-poor skiing?"

"My team was the most qualified winter warfare team, even with me on it," Danny responded, his voice sardonic. It was embarrassing how badly he skied, despite going to the mountain regularly throughout his childhood, and the guys had never let him forget it. Bercham, especially, had been a natural on the snow. He had grown up in Colorado and considering going pro before enrolling in the navy instead. Even Frankie, a SoCal boy who had never been on skis before joining the military, had taken to it easily.

"Your team. Let that sink in for a minute. You were the weakest man on that ice, never would have been there on your own merit, but your team compensated for that. Together you were the strongest team. We all have our weaknesses – I certainly do. I piss off Commander Garnett on a regular basis. But that's why we work as a team – to compensate for each other. The key is to recognize your weaknesses and trust your teammates to pick up the slack. That was your biggest screw up at Gitmo. Not trusting the team – not giving us the information that we needed to compensate. Pretty sure everyone here knows that you aren't at 100% today. That's okay. We can handle it."

Danny blinked. That was the thing about Slattery. Underneath that tough exterior, there was a genuinely thoughtful guy who made an appearance every once in a while. "Thank you, sir."

"Besides, you aren't missing much," Slattery added, slapping Danny on the back. "Lot of crying. And screaming. First mom and then baby. Nobody enjoys that part. Plus, babies are kind of red and wrinkly when they first pop out. They look a lot better after a couple of hours."

Fifteen minutes later, they were headed towards the stadium. Several crew members were dressed in street clothes, the better to blend in with the gathering crowd. As they approached the entrance, Danny could see hundreds of people gathered even though it was only 0830. He had mixed feelings about a large crowd, given the circumstances. More people meant the cure would be spread further and faster. But it would be easier to create a panic, as the Immunes had done back in Missouri.

Four hours later, most of his concerns had been abated. Despite the sizeable crowd, the scene had been well-ordered, people happily spreading the contagious cure. The atmosphere felt almost like that of a concert, people milling about chatting and swapping germs, and there had been nothing that smacked of sabotage. But the peacefulness was abruptly shattered by Caro's voice in his earpiece. "He's here! The bastard is here!"

Following on that exclamation came Burk's voice. "Pursuing unknown male suspect. Headed towards the entrance to the locker rooms."

Cutting across the field, Danny saw a man pushing his way through the crowd. As he moved in the direction that Burk had indicated, Danny caught a glimpse of the man's face. The reason for Caro's fury was immediately evident. It was Tom. Tramping down his own anger, Danny relayed the information to the remainder of the team. "It's Tom Bakewell. Assume additional suspects are on premises. Tex, Rowler, you know what to do."

Yesterday he had shown the team a picture of Tom, one that he had snatched off a shelf at Tom's apartment. It was a picture of the four of them – Tom, Eddie, Waldron and Danny – from some event years ago. They had their arms across each other's shoulders in the shot, laughing at the camera. Unable to look at the image, Danny had ripped up all but Tom's face before passing it around.

He got to the entrance to the underground portion of the stadium just in time to see Caro tangling with Burk. "He's in there! Let me go! I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!"

"Caroline, enough!"

Apparently the use of her full name was sufficient to get her attention. She turned towards him, spitting mad, but her eyes were teary – he wasn't sure if it was from fury or anguish. "You can't let him get away!"

"We won't, but you need to stop getting in the way and let us do our job before someone gets killed." Caro stopped struggling, his words sinking in. "Tex, you in position?"

"Locked and loaded." Came the reply. Tex and Rowler's job had been cut off escape via the back entrance. "They left a kid here to watch the door. He looks about ten. Took us all of three seconds to incapacitate him."

"Miller, you watch her," Danny pointed to Caro. "Wolf, Burk, on me. Flush them towards Tex."

"Everyone stay sharp," Slattery added. "Could be a distraction."

"Roger that," Danny replied as he stepped into the darkened entrance. They had cleared the bowels of the stadium when they first arrived this morning, checking for survivors as well as scouting for possible threats, and found nothing but the occasional rat and plenty of spider webs. Although the stadium had been a safe zone, it had evidently been abandoned early on, the red Xs prominent everywhere they looked. Danny snapped on his LED light. He hated giving away their position, but it was incredibly dark here, the majority of the rooms fully underground with no windows and none of them were carrying night vision gear.

The three men moved seamlessly through the corridors, Danny on point, until they had cleared all of the locker rooms, leaving only the storage rooms and offices for their quarry to be hiding in. Rounding the corner into the last hallway, Danny's only warning of another presence was a slight shift before gunfire erupted. Danny's left arm exploded with pain as he barreled back into Burk.

"Son of a bitch!" He hissed as the pain ebbed. Wolf pulled him back further from the corner.

"How bad?"

"Just a graze," Danny said, his head still ringing. "There were at least two. Flashbang."

With a curt nod, Wolf tossed the flashbang around the corner, barely letting the smoke clear before he followed, Burk on his heels, Danny now bringing up the rear as they flushed Tom and his friend - or friends - towards Tex and Rowler. Ten agonizing minutes passed as they pushed the men closer and closer to the only exit. When they had reached the final stretch, Danny spoke quietly into his mic, "Now would be a good time, Tex."

The door on the far end of the hallway swung open, illuminating several men along the long hall. Taking advantage of the sudden confusion, Wolf, Burk and Danny rushed forward as Tex and Rowler advanced from the opposite direction. "Drop your weapons!"

It took only a few moments and a flurry of shots before the men realized that they had no escape and one by one set down their weapons. Danny's eyes were immediately drawn to one face in particular. Tom. The man looked gaunt, pale, a shadow of his former self. He walked silently towards the entrance, not looking at Danny again after a first, stunned glance. While Tex and Wolf swept the compound again, checking for anyone that might have been missed, Danny and Burk herded their prisoners outside, where Slattery was waiting. Danny's eyes shot to Caro, expecting her to make a beeline for Tom and do, well, something, but her eyes were glued on him. Glancing down, he realized that his sleeve was soaked with blood.

"Through and through," he explained, shrugging, as Rios headed in his direction.

"So any of you assholes going to tell me what the plan was here?" Slattery demanded, eyes intent on the five men before him, one limping from a bullet he had taken to the lower leg. They looked young – nobody older than thirty – and the guard that Tex had taken out was definitely still in his teens. The men exchanged glances, nervously shifting, but nobody spoke. When the silence stretched, Slattery snarled, "Separate them. We'll take them south with us."

Danny knew what Slattery was doing – divide and conquer – and the senior officer was very, very good at this game. But Danny couldn't let it go at that. Tom had been his friend. Danny needed to know, not so much what he had done (because he had seen enough of that), but why he had done it.

Motioning for Rios to wait, Danny headed towards his former friend, staring at the man until Tom's gaze rose to his. "Why?"

"I wanted to live." The answer was so simple, so straightforward, but explaining nothing.

"But you just needed to hold out a little longer. We had the cure." Danny knew his voice betrayed his bafflement, his hurt.

"Oh, and then what?" Tom snarled. "Do you think this magical cure solves everything? Winter is coming. How are these people going to eat? Where will they live? What happens when some other sickness comes through? Where will you be then?"

"So your solution was to kill them? People you knew! Your friends!"

"They wouldn't have made it anyway!" Tom shouted. "They were just using up valuable resources. Food, water, supplies that the rest of us needed!"

Danny stared at the other man. Tom _believed_ what he was saying. He'd drunk the koolaid. He was no different than one of Granderson's people, willing to lose his humanity, to turn against his own, to do anything to survive. From the corner of his eye, Danny saw Burk approaching.

"You'll never understand why," Burk spoke softly, the two men watching as Tom was led (or rather pushed) towards the truck. "That's the difference between us and him. There are some things you just don't do. No matter what. Like those teddy bears."

Danny swallowed. The damn teddy bears. He had blown their cover – and almost blown the mission – that day, unable to stomach the thought of those infected bears getting into the hands of a child. But they had all understood – the team, Slattery, Chandler. There were some lines that could not be crossed, no matter the reason. Burk was right. Danny would never understand why Tom had crossed that line. Nothing that Tom said would make any difference.

Burk waited with Danny while Rios stitched him up, the two men lost in their own thoughts until Tex swaggered over to their location.

"There you are Papa Green! Thought you might need these more than me." With a wink, Tex tucked a package of cigars into Danny's vest pocket. "How's project get-daddy-home-before-mama-pops-out-a-baby going anyway?"

And with that, all thoughts of Tom were replaced by much the more important consideration of how quickly Danny could get things at the stadium wrapped up and get himself down to New London.

Four hours later, the jeep that Danny was riding in finally arrived at the temporary base. Danny didn't bother waiting for the vehicle to come to a complete stop before jumping out, sprinting across the street, slowing only long enough to ask Brewer (who was currently guarding the hospital entrance), where Kara was. He reached the second floor a moment later, using a little too much force to push the stairwell door open, slamming it into the wall and causing everyone up and down the hallway to glance in his direction. Halfway down the corridor he saw O'Connor, who raised his hand in greeting. "Here, sir!"

Slowing down so as not to plow anyone over, Danny headed towards O'Connor, his heart pounding. As he stepped through the door, Danny took in the scene before him in an instant. Commander Garnett was holding Kara's hand tightly as she lay propped on the bed, covered in blankets, Doctor Scott and a strange man dressed in scrubs standing by the foot. But his focus was Kara, her face hidden behind an oxygen mask, beads of sweat covering her face, her hair damp and plastered to her neck. Their eyes met and Danny could see her relief. He had made it. Then she groaned, hands tightening on the rails of the bed. He lurched forward, wanting to do something to help, but Commander Garnett blocked his path.

"Not a step closer, sailor! Not until you clean up!"

_Damn_. Danny glanced down. If he had looked like crap this morning, he now looked like hell, the dirt and sweat that had accumulated throughout the day augmented by the blood covering his sleeve and splattered on his pants. And he still stunk. No wonder the doctor standing next to Rachel looked ready to throw him out. It probably looked like an armed grizzly bear had just burst into the room.

"There you are Danny," Rachel smiled at him, her voice as soothing as always. "Just in time to greet your child. There are some scrubs, as well as some water and disinfectant, in the corner. I suggest that you change and clean up as quickly as you can."

Danny dropped his gear mindlessly in a pile, for the first time in his life not taking the time to sort everything out properly. Yanking off his boots, he stepped into the flimsy white jumpsuit (he assumed that Rachel hadn't wanted him to drop his trousers), zipping it up to his waist before pulling his shirt over his head. Danny began to scrub his face and arms with the disinfecting soap, ignoring the sting as he washed the blood off of his arm.

"It is yours?" Kara croaked. He turned, realizing that she was watching him, pulling her oxygen mask to the side to ask the question.

"It's nothing. Just a bleeder. Doc Rios got me stitched up." As he spoke, Danny finished zipping up the jumpsuit and reached forward to grasp Kara's hand, pushing her damp hair away from her face and leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"I'm here, sweetheart. I'm here."


	16. Chapter 16

 

"I can see the head, Kara," Rachel's voice was encouraging. "Just a few more pushes."

Gasping, Kara barely heard the words, her entire body trembling with exhaustion. The only thing she could focus on right now was Danny's face as he stood over her, grasping one of her hands, Andrea holding the other. Danny was saying something ludicrous like "breathe through the pain" – _as if he any idea what she felt like right now_ – but she wasn't listening. If she had the energy, she would have told him how adorably ridiculous he looked in the surgical scrubs, hair sticking out in all directions. Tightening her grip on his hand, she wished that she could draw on his strength. She wasn't sure she could do this anymore.

Something of her exhaustion and desperation must have reached Danny because he leaned down, their foreheads meeting. "You can do this, Kara. I know you can. Don't give up now, sweetheart. You're almost there."

Somehow it was just what she needed, his words, his presence. Pulling on the last of her reserve, Kara pushed through the next few contractions until, suddenly, miraculously, the pain and burning abruptly stopped as the baby finally emerged.

"Would you like to cut the cord, Danny?" Rachel asked, smiling, as Kara collapsed backwards onto the bed.

For a few seconds Danny stared down, not speaking, a stunned expression on his face. Kara pushed herself up on her elbows, panicked. "What's wrong?"

"It's a girl." Danny looked at her, his eyes glistening with tears. "We have a little girl."

_A girl_. She had known it was a girl, despite what Danny said (and her comments last night). Kara felt herself smirking. It took only a moment to cut the cord and then Rachel gently set the baby down on Kara's chest. "Congratulations mommy and daddy."

Kara stared at the infant, her tiny, squished nose, the thick dark hair that was matted to her head, the curve of her cheek looking so similar to her daddy. Gingerly Kara reached towards one of the little hands that had been punching her for months, and the infant opened her brilliant blue eyes, her tiny fingers wrapping around one of Kara's. Tears spilled onto Kara's cheeks as she gazed in amazement at the tiny human that she and Danny had made. "Hello Frankie," she whispered.

Her eyes rose to Danny and she could see that he was crying too, his larger hand coming down to cover hers and Frankie's. In that instant, they were the only three people in the world.

"She's beautiful," Danny said. "Just like her mama."

Rachel cleared her throat, bringing them back to the present. "Frankie? That is a lovely tribute."

"It's short for Francesca," Kara explained, smiling as her eyes sought out Andrea, standing by the door, giving the new family some privacy. "Francesca Lillian Green."

Kara watched the Commander's eyes tear up. Silently she conveyed her thanks to the woman that had lent her so much support over the last few months as Kara's life – and the world around them – erupted in turmoil.

"I'm just going to take her for a moment to check her breathing," Rachel said after a few moments. Kara watched anxiously as Rachel scooped up the infant, but she carried Frankie as though she had done it a thousand times. Frankie, on the other hand, was not impressed with Rachel's skills, her eyes popping open and her little face scrunching as she began screaming, the sound only growing louder and more pronounced as Rachel and Doctor Taka took turns listening to the infant's lungs and checking her reflexes.

"Her lungs sound fine to me," Andrea commented dryly.

Doctor Taka laughed, expertly slapping a diaper on the newborn before swaddling her in a blanket and popping a tiny pink cap on her head. Mason and Nishioka had been diverted from their primary mission this morning to take Bertrise "baby shopping" for various staples that Rachel insisted could not wait for Norfolk. "I agree. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Green. We'll want to watch the baby for a few days, just in case, but for now she's breathing well on her own and that's the biggest concern."

"She's a good size too," Rachel added. "Six pounds, two ounces and nineteen inches long."

"Babies of this gestational age sometimes have suck issues," Doctor Taka added. "So we'll also keep an eye on her weight.

As he set Frankie back down on Kara, the howling stopped, the infant instantly recognizing her mother and beginning to root for food. Kara laughed, recalling Doctor Taka's last words. Frankie was apparently already an overachiever. She looked at Andrea questioningly.

"Just hold her like a football and point her head the right way. She'll figure it out. It's just like a valve, you need a tight fit," the older woman explained. Apparently noticing the pinched look that crossed Danny's face, Andrea added, a bit of challenge in her voice, "I am, after all, the only one here with any experience in the area. And that generally wins the day."

"Yes, ma'am." Danny's response was instant. Commander Garnett was not someone to mess with. Kara giggled, her eyes meeting Danny's momentarily as she shifted the baby somewhat awkwardly into position.

"We'll give you some time alone," Rachel said. "When you are ready, there are some people outside who would like to hear your news."

For a few minutes the room was silent as they both stared down at the baby nuzzling up to Kara. Then Kara reached up to smooth down Danny's hair and cup his cheek. "Thank you."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Shouldn't that be my line? You did all of the work."

 

Kara smiled at his, despite the exhaustion that was pulling at her. "Thank you for being here."

"I'm not going anywhere," he replied, his tone solemn. "This – you and Frankie – is my priority."

"I don't know how this is going to work...," Kara began, but Danny cut her off.

"Let me handle it." He grinned at her, the sexy smile that she loved so much, leaning down to give her a soft kiss. "For once, let me take care of everyone."

Kara opened her mouth to argue, but refocused on Frankie's face. This wasn't about her anymore, or even about her and Danny. This was about their family now. She would trust Danny to figure it out.

After a few minutes of peaceful silence, watching the baby that had drifted off to sleep, Kara spoke again. "I should have a robe in that bag. Then we can have visitors. You know Tex is out there thinking of a hundred excuses to knock on the door."

Fifteen minutes later, Danny swung the door open, a smile splitting his face as he waved them all in. "Everyone come meet Francesca Lillian Green – Frankie."

Kara was surprised as the room quickly filled up. Tex was there (predictably, he had entered first, carrying a large bottle of scotch that he gave to Danny), as well as Bertrise and Alisha. But Burk, Cruz, Miller and Wolf had also been waiting, along with Will Mason and Danny's friend Eddie. Even O'Connor was poking his head in, a strangely familiar woman standing next to him. A moment later, Kara realized that this must be Danny sister, a woman that she had seen only in blurry cell phone shots, since Danny had never been one for printing out pictures to put on his locker. The woman hesitated at the door, perhaps unsure of her welcome. Kara had to admit that it was strange to have a sister-in-law that she had never met, or even talked to.

Andrea was the last person into the room. "Ten minutes _only_. Then Kara needs to rest."

Leaning down to peak at the infant, Tex kissed Kara on the cheek. "Congratulation darling. She's beautiful. Despite her father."

Kara was still laughing as Alisha bent down to give Kara a tight squeeze. "Do you want to hold her, Auntie Leisha?"

No need for a second invitation there, Alisha scooped up the child. Kara felt tears smarting in her eyes as she watched her friend cuddle with Frankie. Late last night, Alisha had confessed her fear that she would never have a child of her own, the technology that would have made the undertaking possible only a year before now one of the many benefits of modern life that had effectively disappeared overnight. Kara hoped that Alisha's fears were just that - fears - and that someday their children would play together in the backyard.

Burk, Wolf and Miller declined to take a turn holding Frankie, but Cruz acquiesced, holding the infant fairly naturally. For a second, Kara thought that he was looking towards O'Connor and Caroline Green, but she realized he must have been looking at Miller when he added, "You owe me twenty bucks, pal."

In a few minutes, the only people left in the room were Danny, Kara, Frankie, Andrea and Caroline. Stepping past the other woman, Andrea left, adding "Remember what I said last night, Kara", as she shut the door behind her.

"Kara, this is my sister Caroline." Danny's voice trembled a little, and Kara could feel the emotion behind the words. In the last two days, Danny had come home, found his sister, lost his father, and had a daughter. Kara looked back and forth between the siblings. They shared only a superficial resemblance – the same eye color and general complexion – but from everything that Kara had heard, Danny and his sister shared more than a few personality traits.

"Caro," the other woman corrected. "I decided that I like it better."

"Would you like to hold your niece?" Kara asked, tilting the baby in Caro's direction. But to her surprise, Caro shook her head in the negative.

"First things first," she explained, pulling a cell phone out of her pocket. "We need a picture of the three of you together."

Kara glanced at Danny, her eyes filling with tears (again, damn it!). He must have asked Caro to do this. To make sure that Frankie – that Kara – had a picture of them together. Something that she had never had growing up, his way of making sure that the cycle that had formed Kara's life from the very beginning would not be repeated. Danny leaned down to give her a kiss, before sliding his arm around Kara and smiling for the camera. A moment later, the picture taken, Caro came closer to admire the baby.

Then, raising her eyebrows at her brother, Caro leaned down to loudly whisper to Kara. "Do you think he had any idea how ridiculous he looks in that outfit?"

Laughing, ignoring Danny's fake sputtering, Kara smiled at Caro. She was certain that they were going to get along very, very well.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a reference to Blackshade379’s story “How Danny and Kara started” in here.

 

Danny woke abruptly, confused about where he was for an instant. Then the door swung open and Lopez’s head appeared. “Doctor Taka, sir.”

“Let him in,” Danny replied wearily, sitting up on the cot that he had wheeled into Kara’s room last night, trying to clear his head. He checked his watch. 0500. Slattery had been right about the lack of sleep. And not just because of Frankie. The infant had slept surprisingly soundly. But between the feedings, the visits from the doctors, and the beeping of the various machines in the room, Danny didn’t think he had gotten more than an hour of sleep at a stretch all night. He glanced at the bed beside him. At least Kara hadn’t woken up. Rachel had given Kara something for her headache before leaving last night and it had knocked her out.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Doctor Taka said quietly as he walked over to the bassinet where Frankie was sleeping. “I just wanted to check her breathing.”

“Training,” Danny replied ruefully. How many times had he heard that a sleeping soldier was a dead soldier? He watched as Doctor Taka unwrapped Frankie’s blanket to listen to her lungs, shocked at the stench that immediately assailed him. “Dear lord, what is that?”

Doctor Taka chuckled. “It’s meconium. It is actually a good sign. It means little Frankie here is clearing her bowels.”

Gagging, Danny walked over to his daughter. “You, missy, smell worse than I do right now! And that is saying something.”

One of the biggest inconveniences to being on land was the lack of showers. Commander Garnett and her team could power the buildings with generators, but running water and sewer required a more permanent power solution. The last time that Danny talked to Yates, he had heard that Norfolk had running water again, the water and sewer plant powered by rigging one of the empty destroyers that was sitting in port to the facility.

“Don’t worry, this only lasts a day, maybe two.” Doctor Taka explained as he pulled open the drawer next to Kara’s bed where they had stashed the diapers and wipes. The doctor froze, his attention caught by something, then glanced at Danny. “I suppose I should thank you for tucking it out of sight, at least.”

“That one is Kara’s,” Danny replied, assuming that the man was talking about the pistol Kara had stashed in the drawer. Wolf had taken Danny’s gear with him when he left yesterday, one of the few times in his life that Danny had trusted someone else to clean and stow his equipment. But he hadn’t wanted to leave Kara alone, not right away, and some of the things that he had been carrying should not be left in an unlocked drawer. It took Danny a minute to realize that the other man was still standing there, staring down at the gun. “The safety is on. It’s not going to go off if you pull out a diaper, I pinky swear.”

“It’s not that.” Doctor Taka replied thoughtfully as he passed Danny the package of wipes. As he started trying to clean Frankie off, Danny wished he had a hose. Frankie looked like she had exploded. It was _everywhere_. “I talked to Doctor Morrison earlier. About what you found up north. I thought that things were bad here, but after talking to him….” The man took a deep breath. “When I first came by to see your wife, I thought the guard at the door was overkill – the sort of military protocol that never made sense to me. Now it appears that Mrs. Green felt the need to keep a gun next to her bed, in addition to the guard. And I can’t help but wonder why a pregnant woman would feel that unsafe. Because Mrs. Green doesn’t strike me as a particularly anxious person – despite her fear of needles.”

Fear of needles? It took Danny a minute to comprehend what the other man was saying, his brain only half functioning. Baltimore. Danny looked down at Frankie, the squirming infant was trying to stuff her hand into her mouth, soft sounds of frustration escaping her as she couldn’t quite get the position she wanted. _He could have lost her. He could have lost both of them._ He would never forget Kara’s words.

_“They tried to take the baby.”_

He had know that something was wrong the instant the Master Chief approached him in the tunnel below Avocet, his eyes meeting Danny’s directly as he mentioned that Kara was at the tunnel entrance with Rachel, his manner more telling than his words. But when Danny finally caught a glimpse of Kara, she looked okay, no blood anywhere, and he felt a rush of relief, thinking that he had read the Master Chief wrong. But then Danny had seen the protective arm that Rachel had around Kara, and he had felt the way Kara trembled when he pulled her aside to talk to her, her eyes not quite meeting his. Her words, when she finally managed to speak, had been sickening. All he could do was hold her as words poured out, the story only half making sense, but enough for him to realize just how evil Doctor Hamada – and Amy Granderson – truly were.

He had found the room, later, the one that she had been held. Tex had tried to stop him, telling him that no good would come of it, but Danny hadn’t listened. He’d needed to know. Standing there, staring at the examination table, the bindings still attached, he had felt pure rage as he pictured Kara tied down, a gag in her mouth, desperate to save herself and the baby. And he had been thankful that Hamada was already dead, lying in the corner of the room, the needle that Kara had plunged into the man still impaled in his chest. Because Danny was afraid that he would have killed the man himself, and that was a line he didn’t want to cross – killing another not in action or in self-defense, but in anger, in reprisal, as retribution. Later, after he learned what Doctor Scott had done to Sorenson, Danny had recalled those moments in Baltimore, and he had understood what drove Rachel, why she had done what she had done, how she had been pushed over the line.

At least one good thing had come of his visit to that hellhole. The last thing Kara had asked him to do before he put her and Rachel in the rhib back to the Nathan James had been to find the nurse that had helped her, to make sure that the woman was okay. And her name was on Doctor Hamada’s surgical notes, listed as the assistant for the procedure. The woman had been terrified when he and Tex approached her, certain that they were there to throw her in prison with the surviving Avocet guards. When instead Danny had offered her his thanks, and the vaccine, she had burst into tears, reluctant to accept the potentially lifesaving shot, her guilt over her actions at Avocet too great. He had seen the same reaction in many of the survivors of Avocet, as people who had turned a willingly blind eye to the activities at Olympia realized the horror that they had been party to. As he had many time before, Danny wondered how far he would go to save himself, to save Kara, to save Frankie. If he could cross that line, as Tom had done and hurt (or kill) others if it meant saving his family, or if Burk had been right. If there really were some lines that they – he, Burk, Tex, Wolf, Slattery, Chandler – could never cross.

Danny looked at Doctor Taka. “Kara’s not anxious or afraid of needles. Adversity brings out two sides of people, Doctor. Here in New London, I’m glad that you got to see the good. Up north, we saw the bad.”

The bad. That was what Danny needed to protect Frankie from. To protect Kara from, as much as she would let him. Starting by getting them both back to the relative safety of Norfolk.

Doctor Taka nodded, his shoulders sagging. He opened his mouth to respond, but Frankie was apparently done with the conversation and picked that moment to begin peeing everywhere. Flustered, Danny tried to stop the flow with her blanket, but that only shifted her diaper, smearing the mess over the bassinet. Doctor Taka started laughing, the tension in the room broken by the spectacle of a highly trained special force operator struggling to change his daughter’s diaper.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kara leaned back in her chair. It was nice to be out of bed, even if she was still stuck in this hospital room. Rachel had left a few minutes earlier, after hooking up another IV, in the hopes that more fluids would help Kara’s pounding head. At least Kara had been able to take a sponge bath and get dressed in regular clothes before she was tied down again. She had felt irrationally irritated when Danny had left earlier that morning to head back to the Nathan James, knowing that he would get to take a real shower (one which he desperately needed, but still….). At least the chair was by the window so she could watch the street below. It looked like another group of personnel was headed out, although she had no idea where. Kara found it unsettling watching the teams leave and come back and leave again without her knowing what they were doing, where they were going. Hopefully Danny would be back soon and could give her an update. She was used to being in the thick of things.

Kara looked down at the infant who was sleeping in her arms, lifting the child so that she could nuzzle Frankie’s cheek, amazed by how soft her skin felt, by how sweet she smelled. Despite the fact that Kara was holding her daughter in her arms, it didn’t quite feel real. But it was. She was a mother now. This little person was depending on her – and Danny – for everything. The responsibility felt so overwhelming and Kara felt so inept, so unprepared. Andrea had popped by this morning to give Kara another practical lesson on nursing, as well as to cuddle with Frankie while Kara ate and cleaned up. Kara wondered what she would do once she was back in Norfolk – alone. The idea was terrifying.

Kara felt a pang of guilt. Her mother would be there, of course, to help. But Kara had never had an easy relationship with her mother. Some of Kara’s earliest memories were of calling her grandfather on days when she hadn’t been able to wake Debbie up, or even worse, she had woken up to an empty house. Papa Paul had always come immediately, bringing her back to his farm until her mother would appear – sometimes days later. They had never talked about where her mother was or what she was doing. Her grandfather had been a quiet, introspective man who hadn’t been able to move past his grief over the loss of his wife and son. But no matter what his personal feelings were about his daughter-in-law, he had never said anything negative about Debbie to her daughter. In fact, Kara only remembered her grandfather speaking in anger once. Kara had been twelve and Paul had tracked Debbie down after a week-long binge, dragging her back to the farm. But Kara had refused to leave with her mother, locking herself in her room at the farm, screaming at her mother to go away, to never come back. She was tired of holding her mother’s head over the toilet. Tired of waking up to strange men in their house. Tired of the cycle of drinking and then apologizing. But it had been her grandfather who eventually knocked on the door and when Kara had opened it, his voice had been harsh.

_“She has lost more than you can imagine. You are the only thing that she has left. You WILL go home, and you WILL help her, because she is your mother and she needs you.”_

And for years, those words had shaped Kara’s life. She had gone home and she had done her best to take care of her mother, to ignore Debbie’s faults and focus on the good times. But it had never been enough. After her grandfather passed away, Kara had taken over his role of dragging her mother home from her favorite drinking hole. Even after she left home, Kara had continued taking care of her mother, finally convincing Debbie to move to Norfolk to allow her to keep a closer eye on the woman.

Kara had lost her father before she was born, and in many ways she had lost her mother at the same time. When Kara thought about the kind of mother that she wanted to be – it wasn’t Debbie. Frankie deserved better.

A quick knock interrupted Kara’s thoughts. Lopez popped his head in the door. “Caroline Green to see you, ma’am.”

“Please let her in,” Kara responded, Caro’s arrival was a welcome break from her melancholy thoughts. “How long have you been on duty, Lopez?”

“Fourteen hours,” he responded with a weary smile.

“We’re fine here if you want to take a break,” Kara replied. It was after 1300 and Danny would be back soon. Besides, now that she was more mobile, she felt less concerned about needing a guard.

“Thank you ma’am,” Lopez replied with a smile. “But my orders are to stay until Lieutenant Green gets back. I’m sure it won’t be much longer.”

As she closed the door, Caro made a face at Kara. “Danny has you under lock and key?”

Kara laughed. “No. Orders came from the XO. But I doubt Danny protested the arrangement.”

“May I?” Caro asked as she joined Kara by the window, glancing at the needle in Kara’s hand. “Another IV?”

After one more snuggle, Kara passed Frankie off to Caro. “Rachel hopes that the fluids will help with the headache. The magnesium may not have worked, but it did make one hell of a lasting impact.”

“Where is everyone?” Caro asked, her attention on the baby. “I was surprised to find you here alone.”

“I’ve had company most of the morning, but duty called. Danny headed back to the ship to talk to the Captain. And take a much needed shower.”

“The room does smell better now,” Caro responded with a smirk. “Make sure you tell Danny I said that. Are the two of you planning to stay here for a while?”

“In New London?” Kara replied, surprised. The thought hadn’t occurred to her. But it should have. Danny’s family – Caro, maybe his mother and brother – were here in New England. She had assumed that Danny would be talking to Captain Chandler about the best way to get her and Frankie back to Norfolk but he hadn’t actually said that was the plan, only that he would take care of everything. And he had always considered Connecticut, rather than Virginia, his home… “I suppose that we might stay for a bit, but the Nathan James is based out of Norfolk.”

“Your mother is there too, right? I imagine that she’ll be a lot of help while Danny is gone.” Caro was smiling down at Frankie, her question innocent.

“Yes, she’s in Norfolk.”

“Anyway, since Danny’s not here, I get to ask you all of the good stuff.” Caro’s eyes twinkled and Kara wondered what she was getting herself into. “How did you and Danny meet, anyway?”

Kara smiled, at least that was a good memory. “The crew used to meet up a couple nights before we left port at a local watering hole. It gave us some time to catch up and socialize before going back on duty. Cruz told Danny and Frankie where we would be and they stopped by. Danny and I got to talking and found out that we have a lot in common.”

Actually, she and Danny had been so caught up in their conversation that they hadn’t noticed how late it was until last round was called. They had both lingered over their drinks as the bar emptied, reluctant to end the evening, and then Danny had offered to walk her home. They had reached her apartment far too quickly.

_Danny lounged against the wall as she opened the door, the two of them staring at each other in the darkness before he leaned in to kiss her softly, gently, testing the waters. Kara raised her hands to his face, leaning back against the door, and Danny took the opportunity to step closer, his hands rising to her waist as he deepened the kiss. For long minutes they had stood there, oblivious to everything except each other. It was his hands sliding under her shirt that brought Kara back to reality. She reluctantly broke the kiss, pressing slightly on his chest until he leaned back, resisting the urge to run her hands over every inch of him._

_“Kara,” he sighed, leaning down to nuzzle her neck. Breath catching, Kara almost gave in, the only thing stopping her from inviting him inside the thought of how awkward it would be to see him across the mess for the next four months._

_“You know the rules. We’ll be on the ship together. No fraternizing.” One of them had to be responsible and it clearly wasn’t going to be Danny._

_“How about we talk about it over dinner tonight,” he murmured, his head dipping down to give her another lingering kiss, his hands sliding back under her shirt._

_“I have plans.” Kara replied after a moment, tempted to cancel, to spend the evening with Danny instead. But she couldn’t. They were leaving first thing the next day and, with the ship at EMCON, Kara needed to make sure that Debbie had everything she needed in her daughter’s absence._

_“With?”_

_Danny raised his head, sounding aggravated, like a little boy denied his favorite treat. Kara took the opportunity to duck under his arm and put the door behind them, pushing it most of the way closed. “My mother. I might go to Shippers afterwards. Maybe I’ll see you there.”_

And she had, of course. He’d been there waiting when she made it just after 2300 despite the fact that they all needed to be on board the Nathan James by 0700 the following morning. Later she’d found out that Danny had arrived at 1800. Just in case Debbie had been an early bird, he explained, noting that his own mother liked to have dinner at 1730. Kara had laughed at the thought of her night owl mother eating dinner so early. Kara had been forced to rush through dinner in order to make it to Shippers when she did. But it had been worth it to spend the time with Danny. That night they had established the ground rules – no fraternizing while on the ship or around the crew. But they had only been on board two weeks before Danny pulled her into a nook in the pathway to sneak a kiss, the “rules” that they had agreed upon thrown out the window.

“That sounds so … normal,” Caro commented. Kara raised an eyebrow at the other woman. “I guess I imagined something really romantic like Danny rescuing you after you fell overboard or the two of you having dinner while overlooking a glacier.”

“Fell overboard? That would have been horrible. Do you know how cold the water is in the arctic?” Kara asked, shivering at the thought. “Think of it as dating a colleague. The weirdest part is working together.” _Well, except the part where they could be brought up on charges for violating Navy fraternization policy._

“So you’d hang out with the guys playing poker and talking guns? Danny never took you on a real date?”

Most of Danny’s “dates” had involved getting Kara alone – and ideally naked – without getting caught. But Caro sounded so disappointed that Kara felt the need to come up with something PG to share. “Sometimes we would sit outside and watch the northern lights. They were dazzling. I’ve never seen something so beautiful. And the arctic itself, the view from the ship, was amazing. Danny said it was better than the view on the shore, which was pretty restricted.”

That seemed to mollify Caro. “Did anyone guess that you were dating?”

Alisha had, of course. Kara’s frequent disappearances on nights when Frankie was on duty and Danny had the cabin to himself had been too much of a coincidence for her to have missed what was going on, but the two women had quickly adopted a “don’t ask / don’t tell” policy. And Frankie had known before they ever set foot on the ship, from the moment that Danny stayed behind with Kara that first evening. “Frankie had to cover for us a few times when someone was looking for Danny.”

“You and Frankie got along then?” Caro asked.

Kara laughed. “Frankie was friends with everyone. That charm was infectious. He could even make Slattery laugh.”

Caro looked down at the baby she was cuddling. “Frankie and Rebecca clashed. The two of them were always bickering when I was around. I used to blame Frankie for it but, thinking about it later, I think Rebecca was jealous of the time that Danny spent with Frankie.”

Kara was surprised. She knew that Caro and Rebecca were best friends, and given how tight Danny and Frankie had been, she had imagined the four of them were close. It reminded her of how little she knew about Danny’s past. Another knock on the door interrupted them.

“It’s probably Rachel,” Kara said to Caro before raising her voice. “Come in.”

But it was Rebecca. She paused awkwardly in the doorway, her eyes darting around the room, taking in the sight of Caro holding Frankie and presumably looking for Danny. Behind her, Lopez was frowning as he opened his mouth to say something but Rebecca spoke first, holding up a small, festively wrapped package. “I brought you a gift.”

Kara was touched. Rebecca was obviously trying to smooth over any tension between them and it was easier to interact with the other woman without Danny here. “Please, come in. Would you like to see the baby?”

It wasn’t until Rebecca bent down to hand Kara the package that Kara caught the sickly sweet smell on her breath. Giving Rebecca a strained smile, Kara opened the package to find several pacifiers and some cloth diapers. The diapers would definitely come in handy, the packages of disposables that Bertrise had located would not last long.

“Thank you….” Kara began, looking up, but stopped when she saw Rebecca’s face. She was staring at Frankie, a tear slipping down her cheek.

“I’m sorry…I thought I could do this but I can’t.” And with that Rebecca turned and fled the room.

Caro stood quickly, handing Frankie back to Kara, obviously planning to follow her friend. Caro paused a moment before explaining, somewhat awkwardly. “Rebecca’s always loved children. She always imagined having one by now…..”

“I understand,” Kara replied quietly.

“I’m just going to go check on her.” Caro sounded apologetic.

Kara summoned up her best CIC face. “Of course, please tell her thank you for the gift.”

Juggling Frankie and the IV drip, Kara managed to get to the door to tell Lopez that she was going to lie down and didn’t want any company. Then she dug through the bag that Alisha had brought by two nights ago until she found the picture that she was looking for. Setting it down on the bedside table, Kara tucked Frankie into her bassinet and crawled back into bed.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

By noon, Danny was feeling mostly human again. Commander Garnett had arrived at 0730 and offered to keep Kara company to let him get "cleaned up" and talk to Captain Chandler and Kara had seconded the suggestion. Although neither woman had been so uncouth as to say so, Danny figured that everyone on the hall would appreciate it if he took a shower. Yesterday Caro had told him that he smelled like a pig trough. The long, hot shower had been heavenly (the only thing that would have made it better was if Kara had been there to enjoy it with him, although, under the circumstances, she probably would have decked him if he got within a foot of her naked), and afterwards he had crashed in his bunk, asking the Master Chief to inform him when the Captain was available to talk. It was amazing how three hours of solid sleep could feel after being awake for most of the last forty-eight.

Danny knocked on the Captain's cabin promptly at 1200. The last time Danny and Captain Chandler had met in this office had been the day Danny requested the Captain's permission to marry Kara. While it had been an awkward conversation, the request had not appeared to surprise the Captain, who Danny suspected had rather traditional views about marriage and children. In fact, Danny was betting that the Captain and Doctor Scott would be married within the year, although Kara thought that Doctor Scott might take some convincing, her own ideas about relationships more … flexible … than the Captain's.

"Come in Lieutenant." Captain Chandler rose to shake Danny's hand. "I understand from Doctor Scott that congratulations are in order – a little girl."

"Thank you, sir." Despite Danny's nerves – this was not going to be an easy conversation – he couldn't help but beam at the thought of his daughter. "We named her Frankie. She's beautiful. Looks just like her mama."

"I'll make sure to come by and visit later," Captain Chandler replied with a smile, Danny's enthusiasm contagious. "In the meantime, what did you want to see me about?"

_This was hard._ Danny hadn't realized until this instant just how hard it would be to talk to the Captain – a man who had lost his wife while out to sea, who had left his children with his father to return to the Nathan James, who had seen his family for only a few hours here and there over the last year. "I'm here to request two months leave, sir. Enough time for Kara to recover and to move her and Frankie back to Norfolk. I have already spoken with Lieutenant Burk and he feels confident that the team can continue to function until my return."

Captain Chandler leaned back in his chair, his hand folded before his face, his expression giving nothing away. It was the same look that his mother used to give Danny when he had misbehaved and she was determining his punishment. It took all of Danny's efforts not to squirm.

"That sounds reasonable," the Captain finally replied with a firm nod. "In fact, it fits rather well with a proposal that I planned to make to you and Lieutenant Foster."

Danny was knocked off-guard. "Sir?"

"Did Master Chief mention that Solace left Norfolk this morning for New London?"

"No." At least, not that Danny recalled. He had been running on fumes at that point.

"On such short notice, we were only able to gather a skeleton crew. After installing the equipment that your team recovered from Hartford, Solace will return to Norfolk for personnel and supplies before heading to Europe. Are you interested in hitching a ride south?"

It was the perfect solution, actually. Danny hadn't been keen on making the five hundred mile trip via land. He'd done the trip numerous times, pre-virus, but there was no telling what the roads or the territory that they would be traveling through would look like now. "Thank you, sir."

"And once you are in Norfolk, I am hoping that you can assist me with another project," the Captain continued. "As you know, I have been working to locate additional military personnel. I have found quite a few volunteers but, unfortunately, it's a rag tag band – some navy, some army, some national guard, some with no training at all. I need someone to get a training program up and running at Norfolk. Are you up for the job? It will mean staying at Norfolk for several months."

"Absolutely," Danny didn't hesitate. This unexpected chance to spend time with Kara, with Frankie, was not to be squandered.

But Chandler wasn't done. "I hope that once Lieutenant Foster is back on her feet that she might be able to help as well. She's a damn good TAO and the training program she instituted for the engineering JOs was an excellent resource. I am hoping that she can get the ATCIC program at Norfolk up and running, help us train some replacement sailors and start rebuilding the Navy."

"I'm sure that Kara would be happy to help in any way that she can," Danny replied. He was certain that Kara would jump at the opportunity. Although she had refused to discuss the topic, he knew that she was struggling with leaving the Nathan James, with feeling displaced. This would be a way of helping the crew – of being useful – even though she would be in Norfolk.

"I'm glad that we were able to work this out." The Captain nodded briskly, before giving Danny a sideways glance. "While we're waiting on Solace, I arranged a meeting with the Massachusetts alliance. Briefing is at 1700 if you are up for one last mission with the team."

Danny nodded. The idea of leaving the situation in Massachusetts unresolved had left a bitter taste in his mouth – especially given the disregard the group had shown to the residents of Cornwall.

"Before I go, Captain, there's something else that I would like to discuss." Danny thought he saw a shadow of surprise cross the Captain's face. "I am concerned about how hard we've pushed the TAC teams this year. Not that the guys complain, but they are starting to burn out. Having replacement personnel will certainly help, but I think something more might be required. You may recall Eddie Ward – my friend here in New London. He suffered from PTSD after returning from Afghanistan. I spoke to him about the type of program that he went through once he returned to the States. I would like to try to set something up in Norfolk along those lines."

"That is a broad undertaking," Chandler replied, leaning forward in his chair, giving Danny his full attention. "But one that I agree would be beneficial."

Danny pressed ahead. "I understand from Doctor Scott that Mrs. Tophet has a degree in psychiatry. I was hoping to get her involved. Given the events of the past year, I believe that establishing a program now may ward off future problems."

"An excellent suggestion. I'll ask Mrs. Tophet myself." Captain Chandler stood to slap Danny on the back. "And I'll come by to meet the newest member of the Nathan James family tonight."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Danny was whistling as he entered the hospital thirty minutes later. He had been gone longer than anticipated, and decided to stop by the cafeteria and grab a snack for Kara, uncertain whether she had eaten. He was picking up a sandwich for himself (with Bacon on shore the food at the mess hall had definitely not been up to snuff) when Caro stomped in.

"There you are," she snapped. "I've been looking for you for hours."

Danny ignored her as he piled the tray. Caro had been on her best behavior for the past twenty-four hours. Apparently the welcome home lull was over. "I was on the ship. I thought you'd appreciate the ivory fresh smell."

"You do smell – and look – better, although I notice you still have that beard. Isn't it against regulations? Never mind, that's not important," Caro huffed.

Danny grinned. Kara liked the scruff, which was more than enough reason to keep the beard – despite the disapproval that Slattery had expressed on a number of occasions. Grabbing the tray, Danny headed towards the stairs, calling back to Caro. "Figured out a way to Norfolk, if you are interested in coming with us."

"To Norfolk? What about mom and Chris?"

That got Danny's attention. He stopped, waiting for her to catch up. "There is nothing we can do to find them right now, Caro. There's no easy way to Vermont from here, given the situation in Massachusetts, and we aren't sure where they are. Our best option is to keep spreading the cure. If it gets to them, they'll be able to contact us."

Caro opened her mouth, then shut it. "We'll talk about it later. Anyway, I think Kara's upset."

_Crap._ He should have known as soon as he saw her – Caro was acting far too defensive. But even more than that, he shouldn't have left Kara alone to deal with his sister at all. He, better than anyone, knew how … difficult … Caro could be. Setting down the tray, he crossed his arms across his chest, giving her a look that would have had Miller quaking in his boots. "What did you do?"

But Caro was immune to such things. She shrugged. "Not me. Rebecca. She came by to drop off a gift while I was visiting with Kara, but she got upset. I left to talk to Rebecca and when I came back that _petard_ refused to let me back in to see Kara or tell me why."

Danny rolled his eyes as he picked up the tray and headed upstairs, hoping that Kara wasn't too pissed about whatever Rebecca had done or said. Kara had been incredibly understanding about the whole ex-girlfriend situation. He couldn't blame her if she had reached her breaking point with his family and friends. "Lopez's job is to keep people out. Not give you status updates. This isn't Memorial. You aren't a nurse here."

"Not him. Tex. How do you put up with him?"

Well, that was an unexpected development. Sure enough, as Danny opened the door to the second floor it was Tex, not Lopez, who was hanging out in front of Kara's door.

"Caro," Danny waited until he had her full attention. "Thank you for letting me know what happened, but I've got it. Please go away. Go talk to Rebecca or something."

"She's in my room at the hotel," Caro replied with a sigh. "I didn't want her running into anyone else until she sobered up."

"What?" That got Danny's attention. He was going to have a serious conversation with Lopez when this was over about how _guard duty_ was supposed to work. "She showed up at Kara's room _drunk_?"

Caro sighed. "She's been through a lot, Danny. In the past couple of days she found out that you have a wife and kid, that her parents are dead, and that Hartford was destroyed. She had a drink. Just one. But you know how she is with alcohol. Total lightweight."

Danny ground his teeth. "What was she drinking?"

"Why?"

"Just answer the question, Caroline," Danny snapped. Kara's mother had apparently preferred rum.

"I don't know," Caro admitted. She paused as he continued glaring at her. "I don't! I would tell you if I did. You're my brother, Danny. When it comes down to it, I'm always going to back you over Rebecca. I always have." And with that Caro disappeared down the stairs, leaving Danny unsure of how to take Caro's last statement. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he headed down the hall towards Tex. He'd deal with one thing at a time.

"She said she was going to rest but pretty sure I heard crying," Tex said softly, not waiting for Danny to ask. "Lopez knows he screwed up. Kid wasn't sure how to handle it so he called me."

With a hidden sigh, Danny opened the door to the darkened room. Kara was lying on the bed, Frankie in the bassinet beside her, holding a picture that he could recognize even from this distance – the one of her and her mother that she kept in her locker. Although she was silent, he knew she was awake from the pattern of her breathing. Without a word, Danny lay down behind her, curling his arm around her waist, waiting until her tense muscles relaxed back against him.

"You want to talk about it?"

"I never understood." Kara's voice was thick with unshed tears.

"Why she starting drinking, you mean?"

"Yes." Kara's voice was a whisper. "She was alone and she had a baby – me – to take care of. How do I know that won't be me someday?"

"You aren't your mother."

Kara rolled over to face him, her eyes haunted. "How do you know that? How do you know that one day Frankie won't come home to find me halfway through my second bottle of Bacardi?"

"Because I know you." Danny lifted his hand to hold her chin. "Because I know that you would never hurt Frankie the way that your mother hurt you. Because you know what it's like to be four and wake up alone, not knowing where your mother was or when she'd be home. You know what it's like to be fourteen and have to drive home because your mother is passed out beside you in the truck. I _know_ you would never do that to Frankie."

Tears streamed down Kara's face. "She tried, you know."

"To stay sober?"

She nodded. "She'd stop for a month or two, but she always fell off the wagon. I stopped believing that it was possible. It's been almost a year now and every time I talk to her I expect her speech to be slurred. It's so easy to do when you are hurting. To pick up a drink to numb the pain. It's what Rebecca did."

"You know that you have nothing to worry about with Rebecca, right?" Danny met Kara's eyes directly, asking the question he should have asked days ago. "I'm not going to leave you to raise Frankie alone."

Kara smiled despite the tears that still glittered in her eyes. "I know. I know that you would never break a vow."

Danny considered his words carefully. "That's not the reason why you shouldn't worry about Rebecca, though. It's because you and me together, it feels right. It feels like the way it should be. I can't imagine not having you in my life. I told you – back on the James after the Dengue Fever – that the way I felt wasn't going to change. And it hasn't. It won't. No matter what, we're in this together. You, me, and now Frankie. Okay?"

A real smile crossed Kara's face, and she reached up to pull him in for a soft kiss. After a moment she pulled back, her eyes fixed on his. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"Actually, you won't," Danny drawled, smiling in the special way she liked. "Captain Chandler offered me shore duty for the next few months. Training personnel down in Norfolk. Actually, he offered us both shore duty. He apparently liked the training program you developed for the engineering JOs and wants to replicate it."

Kara's eyes widened. "But what about your team? I know how important they are to you."

She continued to amaze him. Despite everything that had happened, despite her own fears, her first thoughts were for him, for the team, for the mission. "They are, but right now, I have a different priority. Solace is on its way here to pick up the equipment it needs. We'll catch a ride back to Norfolk on her, along with Doctor Milowsky."

"Are you sure? We could stay here, instead, Frankie and I, until the Nathan James is ready to head back to Norfolk. It's your home. Your family is here. Your friends. I could make it work…"

"This isn't home anymore, Kara." Danny interrupted, touched her check with his hand. "I knew it even before we arrived. It just took some time for me let go of the dream that Cornwall would be the way that I left it. It's time for us to make a new home. You and me and Frankie. And that's in Norfolk. Where our Nathan James family is. Where your mother is."

"I love you," Kara whispered, giving him another soft kiss.

"I love you too." Danny replied, feeling completely at peace as he lay there with Kara, wiping the tears from her face. The moment passed too quickly, though, as Danny noticed that Frankie's brow was starting to wrinkle, which he had discovered was the precursor to her screaming her head off. Rolling off the bed to pick up his daughter, Danny added. "Maybe once we're in Norfolk we can set up a nursery. I have an idea for a theme."

"Football again?" Kara asked dryly.

"No, something else." Danny smiled. "You'll just have to wait and see."


	19. Chapter 19

"You two decent?" Tex called as he thumped on the door. Kara rolled her eyes, but she did pull the blanket to cover Frankie's head while she finished nursing, just in case it was the Captain.

"You know he can't help himself," Danny murmured as he swung the door open to reveal Doctor Taka and Tex – the later covering his eyes. "You can look now, Tex."

Tex smirked at Kara, nodding his head at Danny. "You never know with this one. He obviously can't keep his hands to himself."

Kara broke out laughing. Even Doctor Taka was smiling as he entered the room, amused by the ridiculously suggestive nature of Tex's comment.

"How is your head?" Taka asked as he got closer. "I see that someone removed the IV. Has Doctor Scott been by?"

"I took it out myself," Kara explained. Then, to answer the obvious question, added, "I've done it before. My secondary role on the ship is as a medical tech. My head is a little better. The fluids helped."

"How is your appetite?" Doctor Taka asked, both of them ignoring the fact that only days before Kara had claimed to have a paralyzing fear of needles.

"Not so good," Kara admitted. Danny had tried to get her to eat the sandwich and cookies that he had brought upstairs earlier, but the cold, slimy meat hadn't been appealing and the cookies were too sweet. Unlatching Frankie, she pulled her shirt closed before passing the sleepy infant over to the doctor.

"It's important to eat. You'll need at extra 500 calories per day while nursing to keep your supply sufficient."

Kara stifled a groan at the Doctor's words. Danny was going to be insufferable for the next few days, stuffing food down her throat, probably even recruiting Bacon to help.

"How's she doing, Doc?" Danny asked as Doctor Taka listened to Frankie chest.

"You have a superstar here," Taka replied with a smile. He rewrapped Frankie and passed her on to Danny. "My guess is that she was close to full term – around thirty-six weeks – given how well she's breathing. She is looking a little yellow so we'll watch for jaundice. Keep up the nursing and maybe get her a little sunlight."

"Can we leave the hospital?" Danny asked. "Thought we could take Frankie for a walk across the street, maybe visit a few people."

"That's fine," Doctor Taka replied. "Just make sure to have people clean their hands before holding her. I don't want to know what you guys have been touching given the state of your clothing yesterday."

"Your job is way worse, Doc," Tex replied with a snort.

After the doctor left, Kara gave Danny a telling look. "Did you have a destination in mind?"

"There's a briefing at five," he admitted. "I figured that you and Frankie could come along. It will save everyone the trouble of coming over here to visit."

_And then Danny didn't have to worry about her getting any unexpected company_ , Kara added silently. Rebecca's appearance seemed to have tripped Danny's protective instincts but, for once, Kara wasn't complaining. After being stuck in this room for the past two days, she was feeling stir-crazy. Besides, after more than a year on the Nathan James, Kara had become used to the constant company of others. She was rarely alone even in her own bunk, since she and Alisha worked a similar schedule. Being alone felt … strange. It was something that she would have to adjust to once they arrived in Norfolk.

Fifteen minutes later they had arrived at the hotel and Kara was feeling less sanguine about Danny's overprotective behavior. He had actually suggested carrying her down the hospital stairs, stopped less by her incredulous response than by the realization that he would have to let go of Frankie in order to pick Kara up. Tex, of course, had found the entire situation hysterical. Still, it was nice to be out of the hospital and, predictably, they were quickly surrounded by people wanting to get a glimpse of Frankie. Kara smiled as Andrea swooped in, immediately taking charge. "Everyone get in line. We don't want to overwhelm her. And use the soap!"

Kara smiled as she passed Frankie over to the Commander, feeling teary-eyed as she watched the older woman handle the infant so naturally, wishing that there was a way for all of them to stay together for longer. Kara surreptitiously wiped away a tear, then stiffened in surprise when Danny slid an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. They were _never_ this affectionate in public, especially around the rest of the crew.

"Relax," Danny murmured into her ear. "You aren't part of the crew anymore, and you aren't in uniform. It's not against the rules."

Although Danny hadn't said anything that Kara didn't already know, the words left her feeling bereft. The Nathan James had been the center of her life for years. The thought of leaving it behind, of leaving her friends behind, was difficult, no matter the reason.

"And there's the newest member of our crew," Captain Chandler's voice sliced through the crowd. Lost in her thoughts for a moment, Kara hadn't noticed Captain Chandler and Doctor Scott approaching. Although Kara couldn't help but notice that they had arrived together and Rachel looked rather … flustered. Danny stood up straighter upon the Captain's arrival but he didn't remove the arm he had around Kara's waist. "Do you mind, Eng?"

"Here you go sir," Andrea replied as she passed Frankie to Captain Chandler. "Careful for her neck."

"I have done this a time or two before, you know," the Captain replied with a chuckle before adding, in a more serious tone, "I understand that she was named after two very special people. Frankie Benz and Lillian Garnett."

"Yes, sir." Kara glanced at Andrea. "We hope that she lives up to her namesakes."

"If she's anything like her parents, I sure that she will," Captain Chandler replied. Then he glanced at Rachel, a slight twist to his mouth. "So how's my technique, Doctor?"

"You'll do," Rachel replied, a grudging tone to her voice. "Now pass her here so I can check her out. You've keep my away from my work all afternoon."

Kara could have sworn that the Captain's lips were twitching as he left, nodding for Danny to follow. The moment that the men were out of earshot, Kara turned to Rachel. "Did you and Captain Chandler have a disagreement over something?"

Rachel sighed. "Captain Chandler can be a most odious man."

"And…" Kara waited, knowing that there was more to _that_ statement.

"He won't even consider my joining Doctor Milowsky on Solace," Rachel said in exasperation. "I thought I could go with Solace to Europe, try to locate some friends in England. Solace would likely need to return to Norfolk for supplies before moving on in any event. But Tom wouldn't hear of it. He wants to take the James instead, even though Commander Garnett has recommended against a transatlantic crossing until certain required maintenance is complete. He refused to listen to the perfectly valid reasons why my presence would aid the mission. Instead, he kept trying to distract me in the most juvenile of manners."

Rachel stopped, her rant over, but Kara noticed that Rachel had slipped and called the Captain Tom. And his comment about his "technique"? Well, if it had been anyone else Kara would have assumed that there was a double meaning. There was _definitely_ more going on there than met the eye.

"It can be difficult dealing with that protective instinct," Kara replied softly. "It isn't always rational. Not that they would ever admit it."

Rachel smiled, their eyes meeting. "We might need to talk about that more at a later date. But, for now, Miss Frankie seems to want her mama back."

With that, Rachel returned the squirming baby to Kara. "Have you heard what this briefing is about?" Kara asked as they headed into the ballroom where the briefing was being held.

"Something regarding the Massachusetts Alliance," Rachel replied. "I understand that the XO spent the afternoon talking to the prisoners. Captain Chandler was hoping to get some additional information."

Kara settled near the exit in case Frankie got noisy. The XO was just arriving and headed towards the Captain, who had been speaking with Danny and Burk at the front of the room.

"You find anything out, Mike?" At Captain Chandler's words the room fell silent. Kara noted how comfortable– how normal –it felt to be sitting in a briefing again. The only reminder of the radical changes that the past couple of days had brought was the infant now held in her arms.

"The kid talked, but didn't really tell us anything new," Slattery replied. "They wanted the cure after all. They just wanted to limit the cure to the _right people_. If there was a bigger plan the kid didn't know it and the others haven't said a word."

Danny was frowning. "Tom would have known I was on the Nathan James. It makes no sense to send him to Hartford. It gave away the operation."

"You weren't with the initial meet and greet party," Slattery pointed out. "And we didn't mention your trip north, since you were doing surveillance. He probably thought you were dead."

"Even if you were alive, there was no reason for him to expect you to figure out what had happened within days," Chandler added. "The Alliance might actually have wanted the two of you to run into each other. Before you went to Cornwall, you probably would have given the guy a good reference. We might have bought into their little game."

The room was silent for a moment as everyone considered the next step.

"They're thugs." Chandler spoke decisively, crossing his arms across his chest. "The only difference between the Alliance and El Toro is that the Alliance has more soldiers. By keeping the cure tightly under control, they avoid any challenge to their power. So the solution is to get the cure to the people."

"We don't have the manpower for a frontal assault, sir," Burk noted. "In Baltimore we piggy-backed on the local dissidents. But the Alliance has established walls around the entire state. There's no way into the state to find any dissidents."

"Actually there is," Danny pointed out. "Ward got out. We could send a team in the same way."

"How do you the path hasn't been compromised in the past six weeks?" Slattery asked, glancing at Eddie.

"Possible but unlikely," Eddie replied with a shake of his head. "There's a freeway between Boston and Albany that handled all major traffic. The road I used was an old trail and only used by locals or leaf peepers. Green knows the road best."

"The real problem isn't the Alliance – it's the condition of the road this time of year," Danny explained. "There's probably going to be snow at that altitude, which means ice, and that may make the road impassable. Some of the turns are a full 180 degrees and the inclines are steep. There are no guard rails and if you go off the road, you are not getting back on. It would also be easy to set up an ambush since there's no way to see around those bends. We'd never see it coming."

"What odds do you give it of working?" Slattery asked.

"I give it eighty percent chance the road is clear enough to make it into Massachusetts," Danny replied after a moment of consideration.

"Even if we get a team into the state, we still have to reach the correct people without tipping off the wrong people," Burk pointed out. "If we go house to house to spread the cure, we run the risk of running into Alliance sympathizers."

"I can solve that problem." Officer Rickman spoke up, startling everyone in the room. "A lot of people here have family up there. I'm sure we could get a few volunteers to go with you and make the introduction. Once the daisy-chain starts, it will eventually reach the right people."

"We don't have the luxury of waiting here until the cure spreads sufficiently for the locals to reach out to us," Chandler replied, looking at Rickman directly. "Every day we stay in New London, the virus continues to spread elsewhere."

"They can reach out to me," Rickman replied without hesitation. "I'm sure my boys can smuggle in some weapons or provide support for a little bit of home-grown sabotage."

"Given the road conditions and the possibility of an ambush, there's no way we can send in civilians in any case," Slattery said flatly.

"I could go," Eddie spoke up. "I have friends in Williamstown. It's in the very corner of the state, just over the New York border, so we wouldn't need to go too far into Alliance territory."

"You have a kid!" Surprisingly it was Rickman that protested Eddie's suggestion. "We'll drag those drunks from Worcester. They must know someone that wasn't in a gang."

"Worcester's smack in the middle of the state," Danny objected. "Much more likely to catch attention. I have some contacts in Greenfield, former military. We could try there."

"How long since you've seen or talked to these people, Green?" Chandler asked.

"A few years," Danny admitted.

"These contacts in Williamstown, Ward, any recent communication? The closer we stick to the border, the safer this operation becomes."

"I have a marine buddy that I spoke with a couple times after the quarantine was put in place. He was digging in at his home up there. If anyone made it through this thing, it would be him," Eddie replied.

Captain Chandler was silent for a moment, considering the options. "We'll go with Ward's plan. Burk is in charge of the TAC team now, Green, but I'm sure he would be more than willing to have you tag along."

Kara sensed the surprise in the room at the Captain's comment, as Cobra learned – apparently for the first time – that Danny would be leaving the team. Danny met Kara's eyes from across the room. She could see the unspoken question, hear the words hanging between them.

_Don't you dare make me raise this child by myself._

His missions were always risky. But this plan – sneaking into hostile territory, on dangerous roads, searching for people that might or might not be alive, no backup – this was petrifying.

_But this is who Danny was. What he was good at._

Despite his fears, Danny hadn't tried to talk her out of joining the vaccination trial. He hadn't tried to sway her decision when they were in Norfolk. He hadn't asked her to leave the James the day they went after the submarine. He had accepted her for who she was - supported her decisions. She could do no less. She couldn't tell him not to go - not when Eddie was taking the chance of leaving his son an orphan, not when Danny knew the road and could potentially save his team, not when he had the chance to take down the group that had killed so many people that he loved. Kara nodded, the motion barely perceptible.

It was only when they were back in Kara's hospital room that she was able to say the words that were screaming in her head. "Promise me that you will do everything in your power to come back to us. _Please_."


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a homage in here to the story "Like A Shooting Star" by StarTraveler.

 

"You want to take a break now?" Eddie asked Danny as they reached the New York side of the Mohawk trail. They had timed the trip well, and the sun was just setting, giving them maximum darkness for the trip across the mountain. The SUV was overly full with Burk, Tex, Cruz, Wolf, Miller, Eddie and Rickman, but they hadn't wanted to take a second vehicle. This was an all or nothing operation.

Danny nodded. "Everyone take ten. No pit stops after this."

"Sure you can hold it Miller?" Cruz teased as they piled out of the vehicle, earning himself a punch from the younger man.

As the guys took the opportunity to stretch, Danny caught up with Eddie. "Are you sure you want to do this? You can wait for us here or jump a ride back to New London. Nobody would blame you. You have a kid back there."

"So do you," Eddie pointed out.

"I also have a wife to take care of her if I get killed," Danny replied carefully, knowing that he was treading on sensitive territory.

Eddie was silent for a minute. "I asked Rebecca to take care of Tyler if anything happened."

Danny was shocked speechless. "Two days ago you could barely stand the sight of her."

"I still can't. When I see her, all I can think about is Amber lying there dying and Rebecca offering her morphine." Eddie hands tightening to fists as he took a ragged breath, the fury behind the words evident. "But she was Amber's best friend for years. I know that she'll take care of Tyler."

There was a long pause before Danny spoke. "It brings back a lot of memories, travelling this road."

"It seems like a lifetime ago. You picking me up in that beat-up Chevy, us going to visit Rebecca and Amber over at Russell Sage." Eddie smiled suddenly. "I almost refused to go with you that first weekend. Hanging around while you and Rebecca made out was torture. I had a horrible crush on Rebecca back then."

"I know," Danny replied with a laugh. "You were pretty obvious."

"But if it hadn't been for Rebecca, I would never have met Amber," Eddie said. Amber had been Rebecca's roommate that first year and Eddie and Amber had been thrust together constantly as they played wingmen to their respective friends. It hadn't taken long for Amber and Eddie to become a couple themselves. "Funny how things work out. I never would have guessed back then that you and Rebecca would split up and I'd marry Amber. Rebecca asked me to tell you that she was sorry."

Danny was caught off guard by the change of topic. "What?"

"This morning," Eddie explained. "I found her outside the hospital. She said that the guard at the door wouldn't let her in. Figured you gave the order and were still pissed at her, so she asked me to pass along the message. What did she do anyway?"

Danny frowned at Eddie, giving a quick shake of his head. He didn't want to talk about it. "Tex, did you say something to Lopez yesterday?"

"I did," Burk replied, no remorse in his tone. Then he gave a predatory smile. "Had to remind the guys of who is in charge now. I run a tight ship."

Eddie raised an eyebrow at Danny. "Are you really taking a shore assignment?"

"I'll be training the guys down in Norfolk," Danny confirmed. "It can't be any worse than training Miller."

"Never thought I'd see the day," Burk said, once the laughter had died down. "But family. It's the most important thing. Especially now."

Danny met Burk's eyes, knowing that he was thinking about Ravit as looked towards the stars, thinking about what might have been in an alternative universe. How different things might be right now. If Ravit was still alive, Danny and Kara might not be the only junior officers starting their lives together, getting married, having children. And Burk wouldn't have to watch for a falling star to remember the woman that had burst into his life so unexpectedly and transformed him.

Thinking about Ravit inevitably led Danny back to New Orleans and the Immunes, and Kara's words from the day that the Nathan James took on the submarine.

_"Don't you dare make me to raise this child by myself."_

And yet he almost had. The fear he had felt when he saw the weapon that the Immunes had brought to Loma Point and realized that the Nathan James was already within range had made him careless, focused only on reaching the armament, taking out the man behind the guns. When the pain exploded in his chest, he had thought for a moment that it was over, that he would never see Kara again, never meet his baby. And worse was the terrible realization that he had failed, he hadn't been able to stop the Immune who was, even then, preparing to sink the James and kill everyone that he loved. But the terror he had felt on land had been nothing compared to his arrival back on the Nathan James.

_"Welcome back, Mr. President," Master Chief had greeted them as the land team reboarded the ship. Around them was controlled chaos as the crew struggled to temporarily repair the damage caused by the sub's missiles, at least enough to get the ship back to the relative safety of the waterways around New Orleans and avoid any confrontation with the civilian population._

_"Any casualties?" the President asked._

_"Only a few injuries, sir," Master Chief replied. Then, turning to Doctor Scott, he added, "Lieutenant Foster needs your assistance in medical, Doctor Scott."_

_Danny's breath caught. Kara could be helping Doc Rios, of course, but the Master Chief had just said that there were only a few injuries. Kara should have been in CIC to handle any complications from the civilians working with the Ramseys. The only reason why she would have left CIC was if she was hurt – or something had happened to the baby. Something like the shock wave from a missile hitting the ship. Danny could still feel the flutter of the baby under his hand this morning, the radiant smile on Kara's face as he leaned up to kiss her. To lose this child now – to lose either one of them – would be shattering._

_"Commander Slattery, you and Lieutenant Green should come with me so I can check you out," Doctor Scott replied. And instead of shaking off the injury like he normally would have, Danny headed immediately towards medical, ignoring the ensuing argument between Doctor Scott and the XO. The trip has seemed to take a year, rather than a few moments, as panicked thoughts ran through Danny's head._

_When he finally entered the medical bay, his eyes flew to Kara where she sat on a bunk in the corner, her feet up, obviously not there to assist Doc Rios (who was in the process of bandaging up an ensign's head), but not appearing to be in any distress. At that moment she looked up, their eyes meeting across the room and she smiled, giving him a slight nod, her relief palpable. He nodded back, taking a deep breath, which made him cough, his chest still throbbing where the bullet had hit._

_"Off with the vest so I can take a look," Doctor Scott said firmly and Danny saw Kara's eyes widen, alarmed by the doctor's comment._

_"It's just a bruise, Doc," Danny replied. "I'll wait while you stitch up the Commander."_

_Without waiting for an answer, and knowing that Slattery would be anxious to get up to the bridge and talk to the Captain, Danny headed towards Kara, stepping around Doc Rios to sit on the edge of her bunk. "Thought you'd be in CIC."_

_Kara grimaced. "The radar is out and we had to flood the armory. We used the last of the five inch to hit the sub. There's nothing that I can do from CIC. Captain Chandler sent me down here to help Doc Rios, but he insisted that I stay off my feet until Doctor Scott was back on board. Apparently HMC training doesn't address 'pregnancy related issues'."_

_Danny was stunned into silence. They had to flood the armory? The James was in far worse shape than he realized. With the armory flooded, the ship had no weapons or countermeasures. They were as defenseless as a cargo ship (well, perhaps a cargo ship with a helicopter and an array of firearms). There were so many ways that he could have lost them today. If Doctor Scott hadn't insisted on treating that child, if the family hadn't warned them about the Immunes, if the XO hadn't been able to take control of the weapon and sink the sub…_

_"But you feel okay? No bleeding or cramping or anything?"_

_"I feel fine. Doc was concerned about the shock wave but I feel peanut moving around," Kara replied, her hand touching her stomach. Danny wished that they weren't surrounded by others, that he could place his hand on hers, feel for himself that the baby was fine. "I take it that you were the ones that sank the sub?"_

_"We ran into a sick family. Doctor Scott cured them – she was right, the contagious cure works. They told us that the Immunes had a surprise for you, but by the time we found out what they were planning, it was too late to warn you. When I saw the smoke coming from the ship…" Danny's voice faltered, unable to finish the sentence. He reached out and took her hand, fraternization policy be damned. "Promise me you won't make me go through that again."_

_"I can't make that promise, Danny," she whispered softly. "Any more than you can make that promise to me. Our jobs are dangerous. The world is dangerous. And we don't know what will happen tomorrow. All I can do is promise that I will do everything that I can to keep this baby safe and come back to you at the end of the day."_

"What made you decide to leave the team?" Eddie asked, bringing Danny back to the present. "Kara?"

Danny shook his head. That day in New Orleans, he had understood, for the first time, how she felt when he left the ship. Every time he was on a mission. And yet she had never asked him to leave the ship, to skip a mission. She understood that it was part of who he was. She hadn't tried to change him – and he loved her all the more for it.

"No, not Kara. It was my father," Danny replied. "Going to Cornwall brought back a lot of memories of him. Of the time we spent together. He wasn't one for big tips or expensive gifts, but he was always there. I want to do that for my own kids. To have that special time with them – those special memories. I can't say that I'll never do another tour. But I can at least try to start it off right with Frankie."

Eddie nodded. "Your dad was a good man. He would have been proud of you."

"I hope so."

Danny took a moment to compose himself before calling for everyone to load up. As everyone loaded back into the vehicle, Danny took the opportunity to check with base. This might be their last opportunity to do so, depending on whether the Alliance was jamming their signals.

"Cobra to base."

"Base here," Captain Chandler replied.

"We're ready to rock and roll."

"You have a green light. Stay frosty."

Danny turned to the others in the SUV. "We're radio silent from now on except for an emergency. And everyone buckle up. This might get rough. Oh, and anyone have a bag for Ward to use? He gets motion sickness."

"Only when you are driving," Eddie muttered. He turned to address the remainder of the group. "Have any of you actually ridden with him before?"

Burk was the one to answer. "Only in a rhib."

"Then you are in for a real experience," Eddie said with a laugh. "There's a reason he couldn't get his license until he was eighteen."

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Four hours of creeping around corners and down steep inclines at ten miles an hour, they finally reached the straightaway. Danny rolled his shoulders and twisted his neck in an effort to relieve the stiffness in his muscles. The night vision goggles had helped, of course, but navigating a tiny, twisting road that he hadn't driven in years with no headlights was enough to give anyone a headache. They had deliberately bypassed the first few towns they reached, heading directly to the home of Eddie's marine friend. There was no way to know for sure if the man was part of the Alliance or not, but Danny trusted Eddie, and Eddie though that Bushay was too independent to have fallen in with the Alliance's crowd. Although Danny was painfully aware that he very well might have said the same thing about Tom a week ago.

They left the SUV hidden a mile away from the house and advanced on foot, Wolf and Tex swinging around to the back of the cabin while the others took positions along the road. Danny stood to the side, back against the wall, as Eddie knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Eddie Ward. Looking for Rob Bushay." Danny could tell from Eddie's voice that the man responding was unknown. He tightened his hold on the pistol he was holding, in case they needed to make a quick getaway. The door cracked open.

"Said your name is Ward?"

"Yup. Served with Bushay back in Afghanistan."

"Your uniform says Green."

It was the almost imperceptible sound of a footstep coming around the corner of the cabin that alerted Danny. He waited, silently, as Eddie continued wrangling with the man at the door. A distraction, no doubt.

"It's a loaner. Look, is Rob here or not?"

In a second, Danny had the man facedown on the ground, knee in his back, gun to head. This was no civilian. The only reason Danny had been able to surprise him was the night gear that had allowed him to stay hidden until the last second. The guy twisted his leg suddenly, trying to dislodge Danny, but he succeeded only in bringing the full weight of Danny's knee down on his back. It was a move Danny knew well. This guy was special forces.

"I'm going to guess that you're Rob," Danny said, before reholstering his pistol, and pulling the guy to a standing position, and pushing him towards Eddie.

"So you with the Alliance or not?" Eddie demanded, getting directly in Rob's face.

"You asshole. I'll get you for this." The man spat at Eddie. He jerked again at the arm Danny was pinching against his back. "And you too, whoever you are."

"Told you," Eddie said, the comment directed at Danny. "That's my buddy Danny. I introduced the two of you at my wedding."

"Looks like we found the right place then. I'm going to release you now, but if you so much as scratch your nose the wrong way, I'll break your neck." Danny shoved the man towards the house, stepping back. "Burk?"

"Got your covered," Carlton replied from the shadows, not getting any closer.

"We have you surrounded," Danny said. "So don't be stupid. We're not with the Alliance. We're here to spread the cure to the Red Flu and take those sons of bitches down." There was no response from either man. Danny shrugged. "If you don't want our help, that's fine. We'll find someone that does."

Danny waited until Eddie was behind him before he began to retreat, just in case Eddie decided to deviate from the plan, to try to convince his friend to join them. They had already accomplished at least one goal by this visit. Whether or not Rob knew it, he was now immune from the virus and would soon be passing that immunity on to the remainder of his little group.

"Wait!" They were almost to the treeline before Rob spoke. Danny paused. "I remember you. Green. You're special forces."

"Eddie told me that you were a Marine Raider. That was a good move you pulled. You almost bucked me." Eddie snorted at the comment, making Danny smile slightly. A little flattery never hurt. "You don't trust me – I get that. I don't trust you either. I'm here because I trust Ward and Ward trusts you. So you tell me how this is going to work."

"Come on in," Rob said finally. "This is Eric."

Danny nodded at Burk to join them as they followed the men into the cabin. There were several other people there, and Danny could hear the sounds of children's voices in the other room before Eric pulled the door shut. Danny leaned against the wall near the fireplace to give him the best view of the room, exchanging glances with Burk, who had remained by the door. They would have to be careful here, not wanting to put kids in danger.

"Do you really have the cure?" Rob asked.

"We do. It fact, you're already immune," Danny replied. At the men's incredulous looks, Danny nodded towards Eddie. "Ward here is a contagious carrier. He gave it to you when he got in your face. In about an hour you can pass it along to anyone around you, simply by breathing. Show them the video, Eddie."

For a few minutes there was silence as Eddie played the video for the two men.

Rob looked up. "There are some locals… They're sick. You can cure them?"

"Use these." Burk tossed the man a package of syringes that they had brought with them in case they were unwilling to believe in the contagious cure. Eric disappeared into the other room for a moment, presumably to pass along the package, and reappeared with two additional men. From their stances, Danny guessed more marines. Eddie had been correct about where to come to find a resistance group.

"So, what can we help you gentlemen with?" Rob asked. "As lovely as it was to give us the cure, I imagine you had another reason for tracking us down."

Danny jumped right in. "From what I've seen, the Alliance is full of hacks who barely know how to hold a gun. So how are they maintaining their control?"

The snide comment drew a few chuckles.

"They restrict information in and out," Eric replied. "Jamming the signals. We put a tower up in the mountains a few months back, and within days they had knocked it out. No idea how they found it, dumb luck or a spy."

"My commanding officer met with the Alliance leaders a few days back," Danny replied. "We passed along the cure and information on how to spread it and were told that the Alliance would handle distribution in this area. I'm guessing that hasn't happened?"

Given the angry glances around the room, Danny really didn't need verbal confirmation but Rob responded anyway. "Those bastards are lying through their teeth. Just yesterday they had teams come through town, telling everyone to watch out for people without masks. That there was a group out there trying to spread the Red Flu. They didn't say anything about a cure."

"Do you know where the signal is coming from?" Burk asked.

"Sugar mountain, about twenty clicks south. There's an old radio station powered by a dam there."

"You haven't thought about taking it out?" Danny questioned. One of the men standing at the wall shifted. "You have something to say, soldier?"

"We cased the place, but we'd need to take out the dam to take out the signal permanently, sir. We don't have that type of explosives available."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Explosives I can help with. Anything else you need?"

"It would be hard to take out the dam with just the four of us. Any chance your team wants to volunteer?" Rob asked, giving him an apprising look.

Danny shook his head. "I'm just the driver. You want reinforcements, you have to talk to Burk over there."

Clearly surprised, Rob looked over to Burk. "You look like Navy. What type of guys are we talking about?"

Burk grinned. "Well, as Tex would say, we're a real coalition of the living."


	21. Chapter 21

Kara was startled by the knock at the door. She had been in the process of unpacking her hospital bags and putting everything away in the hotel room that was serving as their temporary home. Not that they would be here long, but she had to do something to keep busy. She was going to need to find a lot of ways to occupy herself over the next few days to avoid going crazy until Danny returned. Swinging the door open, she was thrilled to see Alisha.

"I heard you moved back over here," Alisha remarked as she plopped down on the bed.

"I am _done_ with hospital rooms," Kara sighed. "Not that this is all that much different. But at least I don't have six different people poking me."

"And no unwelcome visitors," Alisha commented.

Kara gave Alisha an exasperated look. "Does anything stay a secret with this crew?"

Alisha laughed. "Nope. Not only does Tex have a big mouth, but Burk dressed down Lopez in front of half the enlisted. Asked him if he had an olfaction issue. Poor guy had no clue what he was being asked. Carlton does have a way with words."

"Lopez didn't do anything wrong," Kara said with a sigh. "I said Rebecca could come in."

"Maybe not, but Burk made it clear that Rebecca is barred from any building that you are in," Alisha replied. "I think he would have barred her from coming near Danny if he thought he could get away with it. You know that none of us like her, right? She's like that character in a romance novel who you instantly dislike because she's there for the sole purpose of trying to cause trouble."

"I've never understood why you like those stories," Kara replied with an amused shake of her head. "The plots are always so far-fetched."

"Says the woman who is basically living a romance novel!" Alisha responded. "Think about it! Hot Navy SEAL meets and falls head over heels in love with gorgeous Navy lieutenant – so much in love that he risks his career to pursue her in clear violation of Navy regulations, and when the lieutenant is sent on a dangerous mission by her Captain, the SEAL fights with his superiors to allow him to accompany her because he would rather die with her than live without her. Then the gorgeous lieutenant volunteers to be infected by the most deadly plague known to humankind in order to test a vaccine but when she reacts badly to the vaccine we discover that – surprise! – she's pregnant. So our SEAL is forced to face the prospect of losing not just the love of his life but also his unborn child. Until a miracle! A cure is found! And so the SEAL, the lieutenant, and their baby all live happily ever after! Rebecca totally messes up the happily ever after part of the story."

Kara laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Told that way, any love story would sound dramatic," Kara countered once she could finally speak again. "Mason and Bertrise? Brave young Navy lieutenant, fresh out of the academy, falls in love with a beautiful voice over the radio. One day while searching for the voice he craves, he learns that she is immune to a deadly plaque that is destroying the world but that her ship has run out of water, and convincing his Captain to send a rescue party to save her from certain death on the seas! In thanks, the lovely young lady not only donates her blood to help develop a cure to the horrible illness, but devotes her young life to the care of the crew on the ship that saved her."

"The Captain and Doctor Scott?" Alisha added slyly. "Handsome, confident Captain finds himself drawn towards a beautiful doctor who challenges him at every move when they are thrown together on a mission to save the world. Will his marriage vows be enough to stop him from falling for her?"

"The Captain would never have…" Kara started, but Alisha threw up her hands before the sentence was finished.

"I know, I know. But it would make a really good story!" Alisha wagged her eyebrows up and down. "Anyway, back to the original topic. You and Danny have a perfect love story. Rebecca needs to just go away. Which gives me an idea! I'll have to ask Bacon to put some tabasco sauce in Rebecca's coffee!"

Kara knew exactly what Alisha was referring to. It was the night after the near-botched mission at Gitmo. Kara had been doing sit-ups in their cabin when Alisha tracked her down, stepping over Kara to plop on her bunk.

_"Tex started an impromptu 'escape from the Russians' party in the mess hall," Alisha said. "People were asking about you."_

_"We were late. We almost blew the mission. Not really a reason to celebrate," Kara said harshly as she did another sit-up, attempting to exhaust herself enough to sleep. To forget Danny's words. To forget the look on his face. To forget the ache in her chest._

_"So you were off by a couple of seconds," Alisha replied with a shrug. "No big deal."_

_"Not to Lieutenant Green." Kara whispered, ignoring the hot tears burning in the back of her eyes._

_"Lieutenant Green? Since when do you call Danny 'Lieutenant Green'?" Alisha demanded. When Kara didn't answer, Alisha spoke again. "Danny wasn't at the party either. What happened, Kara?"_

_As badly as Kara wanted to tell her friend, she couldn't put Alisha in that spot. "I can't…."_

_"Please don't shut me out, Kara."_

_Kara looked up, startled by the sudden change in Alisha's voice. "What's wrong?"_

_Alisha wiped a tear away. "It's just…Sarah, my mother, my friends. Everyone is probably dead and you're the only friend I have left in the world and we're stuck on this ship for who knows how long. We should be able to talk to each other without worrying about 'Navy rules.' What are they going to do? Court martial us?"_

_Kara stared at Alisha, startled by the outpouring of emotion. Getting up from the floor, Kara sat on the bunk next to Alisha, both of them sitting with their backs against the cabin wall, feet hanging over the edge of Alisha's bunk. "You have lots of friends on the ship. Carlton called you 'baby girl' the other day – he only says that to people he likes." Kara paused for a moment, her need to talk about Danny warring with her fear of getting Alisha in trouble. "Danny slowed down before we reached the Vyerni. He wanted me to jump early. That's why we were late. And when we got back …. He broke things off. Told me to stay away from him. Said he lost his 'focus' because of me."_

_Kara didn't mention the other thing that Danny had said. It was too personal. She had never imagined that the first time he said those words (if he said them at all) would be in the middle of a fight, just before he ended things. Who knew if he even meant it. Just something that he said in the heat of the moment, never to be repeated._

_"What a jerk!" Alisha exclaimed. "He blamed you?! Danny wasn't even supposed to go on this mission. He knocked Rowler off the team so he could take his place. If anyone is to blame, it's him."_

_"It doesn't matter," Kara replied with a sigh. "He was right. If we hadn't broken the rules, if we hadn't gotten involved, none of this would have happened."_

_For a moment the two women were silent. Then Alisha spoke again. "If you want, I can put tabasco sauce in his coffee cup. Maybe that will bring him back to his sense. Or at least make for an interesting morning in the officer's mess."_

_Taken aback for a moment, Kara laughed until she cried. The image of Danny unknowingly taking a swig of tabasco-laced coffee was too ridiculous. Once Kara stopped laughing, she turned to Alisha, giving the other woman's hand a squeeze. "You are a good friend, Alisha Granderson. Now, let me change and we'll go see if Bacon still has some of that chocolate cake."_

"No need for tabasco sauce," Kara said with a smile. "Rebecca is just an ex-girlfriend we happened to run into here in New London. We'll probably never see her again."

Alisha wrinkled her nose. "I thought that too, but she and Doctor Morrison just volunteered to join Doctor Milowsky on Solace. So you'll all be heading back to Norfolk together."

Kara opened her mouth, but couldn't think of anything remotely appropriate to say. _Would she ever be able to get rid of Rebecca?_

"Tabasco sauce sound more appealing now?" Alisha asked, and Kara gave a grudging laugh. She looked at the woman that had become her best friend over the past year.

"I am really going to miss you."

"Me too," Alisha replied. "But right now we're both here and I'm not on duty for two hours. So tell me all about this new job at Norfolk."

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"Why not just call up the wife and blast the thing?" Tex asked as the men bent over the blueprints.

"Signals are jammed," Danny explained, ignoring the baffled looks they were receiving from Rob Bushay and his men. Trying to translate Tex into ordinary English took too much effort.

"Besides, it's a heavily populated area and Kirkland's never hit a target that small," Burk added. "We wouldn't want him to miss."

"We could head back up the trail and call in the helicopter," Wolf suggested. "That reduces the risk of civilian casualties."

"Too risky. The Alliance might have air to surface missiles," Danny replied.

"So we go with the original plan?" Rob asked, looking towards Danny, who in turn looked to Burk, raising his eyebrows. Danny was finding it harder than anticipated deferring to Burk. Not because he was worried about Burk's ability to lead the team – Carlton was a damn good soldier and would have made a damn fine special force operator – but after a year of leading this team through missions, being the person to make the final call, knowing that he could (and had) led men to their deaths, taking a backseat was … challenging. The responsibility that Danny felt towards his team hadn't vanished with the change of command. If anything, he felt guilty for the burden he was placing on them, especially on Burk. Danny wondered if that feeling of responsibility was why Captain Chandler had decided to continue traveling with the Nathan James rather than staying in St. Louis, as President Michener had suggested. If Captain Chandler had struggled to cede control to Slattery not only because he had commanded the Nathan James for years, but also because he had not wanted to place such a heavy mantel of responsibility entirely on Slattery's shoulders (no matter how capable the XO was).

"I'll lead the first team – Wolf, Tex, and Miller. We'll take out the perimeter guards and any reinforcements. Bushay, you and your men will clear the tower. Green, you're in charge of the second team – Cruz and Ward. You'll blow the dam. Rickman will stay with the vehicles. That work for everyone?"

It was Eddie that responded. "What was it that Caroline used to say – one for all and all for one?"

Danny groaned as everyone laughed. "The only thing that would make that joke worse was if Caro was here to tell it."

A sudden tap over the coms stopped the levity. Two taps. Someone was coming.

"You expecting company?" Danny asked Rob, who shook his head. "Get your people out the back. Wolf and Eddie – go with them. Tex, you and I will cover the sides of the building."

"You know," Rob commented. "For a man that is merely the driver you sure do give a lot of orders."

Burk smirked at Danny. "Old habits. The man keeps forgetting that he's on paternity leave. How's daddy boot camp going, Green? You learned to change a diaper yet?"

"You should try it sometime, Burk," Tex called back as they headed towards the back door. "Those suckers are surprisingly wiggly."

As he snuck around the corner of the building, Danny wished that it wasn't still light outside. The late afternoon sunlight made a stealth approach much more difficult. But as he got closer, Danny realized that this wasn't the Alliance and stealth was probably unnecessary.

"I know they brought the cure! Please! You have to tell me!" It was an older man, his clothing indicating that he was a farmer. The pickup truck that he had driven down the road was piled with what Danny thought were lumps of clothing until they moved, revealing people. Presumably sick people.

"Nobody's here, Clayton." Rob leaned towards the man until their faces were almost touching. "I'm sorry that your family is sick but we brought by the extra supplies we had this morning. There is nothing else that I can do to help you."

"I know those soldiers came here! Jonas saw them get in the car with Victor after he dropped off the supplies. We just want the cure. I won't tell anyone!"

_Damn._ It had been a mistake to send Eddie and Rickman with Rob's men this morning while they "distributed supplies" and – by their presence – the cure. But neither Burk nor Danny trusted Rob or his people enough to feel comfortable allowing them to leave without an escort. They had thought that Eddie's presence could be explained as an old marine buddy of Rob's. Apparently the cover hadn't worked.

"Look, I only have a couple doses. There's more on the way but for now, this is it. And you can't tell _anyone._ "

From the corner of his eye, Danny could see Rob pass Clayton a bag of needles. A minute later the man had hightailed it back to his truck and was headed back down the driveway, apparently not wanting to give Rob a chance to change his mind and take back the precious cure.

Once Cruz confirmed that the truck had left the yard, Danny approached Rob. "Will he keep his mouth closed?"

Rob shook his head. "He's not a tattle but he's dumber than a rock. He'll tell someone. We need to leave now. I'll try to keep us on side roads for as long as possible, but we might end up walking the last couple of miles. You game?"

"Hell man," Tex retorted. "What do you think we do all day? Walking twenty miles is a nothing compared to the workouts that taskmaster puts us through. Maybe this time I can avoid getting shot in the ass."

There was a short pause before Danny spoke. "He's an acquired taste. Believe me, I know."

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An hour later Danny found himself, by design, riding in the bed of a pickup with Cruz, lying under a handful of blankets as Eddie sat in the cab with Eric. Although he and Cruz had easily fallen back into their usual routine of working together, Danny was aware of the underlying tension that surfaced when they were in the same room. Not that Danny could blame Cruz. His reaction to the man kissing his sister had not exactly invited further conversation. Kara had picked up on the tension the day before and, when he finally told her why he was annoyed with Cruz, she had found the story hilarious. Then she had reminded him that Caro was an _adult_ and didn't need her brother's _permission_ to date anyone, that Danny _liked_ Teylor and that he was a _good guy_ , and, as the final nail in Danny's coffin, reminded Danny that he had known her mother for all of three hours before informing the woman that he planned to become her son-in-law. Seeing things from the other side, Danny had realized just how lucky he had been that Debbie Foster had been willing to take him at his word that his intentions towards Kara were honorable.

_"Hi friend," Cruz said with a smirk as he passed Danny on his way into the bowling alley with a load of equipment that O'Connor needed to get the power going. Danny bit down a sharp retort, knowing it would just lead to more jabs from Burk and Tex once Cruz shared the story. Actually, maybe not Tex. The man had turned out to be surprisingly sympathetic and supportive when it came to women problems. Problems which Danny seemed to have in spades these days._

_He had been so relieved when Kara learned that her mother was alive; knowing how fragile Kara was right now given the events in Baltimore he had worried about whether she could handle bad news. Watching them embrace had given him hope for the future again. And then Kara had introduced him - as well as Cruz and O'Connor - as her friends. Making no distinction among them. Not indicating in any way that Danny was different from the other guys, that he was special, that right now his child was growing inside of her. And while Danny understood, in a way, Kara's decision not to tell her mother about the baby and be faced with the decision of whether to leave the Nathan James (he refused to countenance the idea of her stay in Norfolk without him), her failure to acknowledge him chaffed._

_Turning around with his arms loaded up, Danny found himself face to face with Debbie Foster. "Mrs. Foster. Can I help you with something?"_

_The woman stepped closer until they were toe-to-toe, separated only by the armful of gear that Danny was still holding. "I see the way you look at my daughter. I want to know what your intentions are."_

_Danny froze for a moment, the question so unexpected, before answering honestly. "I'm in love with your daughter, ma'am. My hope and intent is to marry her, if she'll have me."_

_Debbie smiled, a sheen of tears covering eyes that looked so much like Kara's. Then she pulled a necklace from around her neck, squeezing it tightly in her hand. "This is the ring that Kara's father gave me when we got married. It's not a diamond but I think Kara would like it."_

_"It's beautiful. Thank you." Danny set down his load to reach out to take the necklace, the lovely purple stone sparkling in the afternoon sun, tucking it into his ammo pocket where it would be safe. "Does this mean that I have your blessing?"_

_"Yes, you have my blessing," Debbie said with a grin, patting his cheek as she turned around to head back to the bowling alley. "I like you. You'll make cute babies."_

Later, once he had given Kara the ring, he had told her the story. But neither one of them had figured out how Debbie knew that Kara was pregnant. Perhaps there was something to Debbie's claim of maternal instinct after all.

Remembering his own turmoil that day, and how much worse Debbie could have made it, had forced Danny to face his own behavior in connection with Caro and Cruz. Kara had been right, of course. There was no reason for him to be irritated at Cruz. Teylor was a good man. Caro could do much worse.

"I asked Caro to come back to Norfolk with us," Danny said, breaking the silence.

There was a moment of silence before Cruz replied. "She make a decision?"

"Not before we left," Danny said. "You know that you don't need my permission to ask my sister on a date, right? I am no longer in your chain of command but, even if I were, there is no rule against dating a civilian relative. If that's why you didn't ask her before."

"I didn't ask before because it just seemed wrong," Cruz explained. "We're friends, you and me. You don't date a friend's sister."

"You kissed her," Danny said dryly. "So kissing is okay but dating isn't? That seems kind of backwards to me."

There was another pause and Danny knew that Cruz was composing his thoughts. "Everything in New Orleans was pretty messed up. That stuff with Burk and Ravit? It really made me think, you know? How quickly you can lose someone. So when I saw Caro, I thought, well, screw it. I'm going to take my chances. But she doesn't seem to feel the same way."

Danny couldn't help but laugh. All indicators were that Cruz had it pretty bad for Caro. He felt a little sorry for the guy. "Caro's not shy. If she didn't like you, she would have smacked you for kissing her."

"Really?" Cruz sounded hesitant, unusual for the man. He definitely was in uncharted territory.

Danny rolled his eyes, wondering if this is how Tex had felt back when he and Kara were still in the process of sorting things out. "Look, Caro is irritating, unpredictable, and stubborn as all hell. But she's also straightforward and loyal. If you ask, she'll tell you where you stand. Just make sure that you don't string her along."

"Or you'll kick my ass?" Cruz asked, slightly amused.

"Hell no," Danny replied. "Caroline's wrath is far worse than anything that I could possibly do to you. Just don't come crawling to me for help. You are on your own."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M FOR VIOLENCE. (Similar events have happened on the show but I wanted to warn you anyway.)

 

"You up for a visitor?" Rachel inquired as she popped her head into the door of the ballroom where Kara was sitting by the window, Frankie dozing on her lap, naked except for a diaper. Halsey lifted a lazy head to glance at the visitor and then settled back to sleep as he recognized her scent, continuing to bask in the warm morning sun. Kara smiled and waved the other woman into the room.

"Of course. I'm just getting Frankie some sun," Kara explained wearily. "Doctor Taka said it's the best treatment for jaundice. Well, that and eating constantly. Which has not been a problem."

In fact, Frankie had wanted to nurse most of the previous night, resulting in Kara getting little to no sleep. Thankfully Andrea had come by before her shift this morning to take Frankie for a tour of the hotel and let Kara get a couple hours of shuteye. Once again Kara had been reminded of how amazing the Nathan James crew was – and how much she was going to miss them.

"She's looking better than yesterday," Rachel commented, pulling up a chair next to Kara. "I see that Miss Frankie has her own heater."

Kara laughed. "Andrea was worried about Frankie getting cold so she had a couple of ensigns from engineering set it up. It reminds me a little of the woodstove we had when I was a kid. I used to love sitting in front of it with a cup of hot chocolate."

"I used to do something similar in London," Rachel replied, her face far away for a moment. "Michael had a flat there, although he rarely used it due to his travel schedule. The building was in Central London, built long before central heating, and was freezing for nine months of the year. But it had the biggest fireplace. Old style, designed to be used for cooking, no frills, taking up half of the wall. Sometimes we would make a mound of blankets and curl up before a roaring fire and drink steaming cups of tea all day, just talking."

"That sounds amazing," Kara said with a sigh. "Curling up before a warm fire with nothing to do all day. I don't think that Danny and I have spent an entire day together, just the two of us, ever."

"Once one you are back in Norfolk, you'll have more time and privacy," Rachel replied. "Although Frankie here seems to be pretty attached to her mama so you might have to let her tag along."

Kara chuckled before giving Rachel a more serious look. "It must be hard. Not knowing what happened to Michael."

Rachel glanced away. "China was hit far harder by the virus than the States, due to the population concentration. Once I learned that he was still there … that he hadn't left … I knew that he was gone. I had to let Michael go, let any hope of his survival go, so that I could start living my own life again. I made my peace with his death."

"Because of Captain Chandler?" Kara asked tentatively.

"What?" Rachel seemed startled by the question, before giving a self-deprecating smile. "Yes, well that was part of it, of course. No man wants his partner to be thinking about another man. But we never completely move on from those we have loved. Tom still mourns Darien deeply and I expect that he will for the remainder of his life. I had to let Michael go for my own sanity. I could no longer stay in limbo, the way Mike has done."

"We all worry about the Commander, after what happened in Norfolk," Kara said sadly. "But how can he stop looking for his children? Hoping that his girls are out there, somewhere, alive. I can't imagine what I would do if Frankie …"

"I don't know that he can, even knowing how unlikely he is to find his children," Rachel replied. "For me, though, I could see that keeping that hope alive for Michael would destroy me eventually. Destroy the chance that I had to be happy with another man. Destroy the chance I had to build a new life for myself. One that might, someday, even include a family of my own."

"What if he wasn't dead? If he came to find you?" Kara asked hesitantly.

"I would be thrilled to see him," Rachel replied. "But things could never return to the way they were. That is part of what I made peace with. Whether or not Michael is alive, Michael and my relationship is over. There are certain things – like a cozy fire – that will always remind me of Michael. But he is no longer the man that I want to spend my life with. Even if he was easier to muck along with."

Kara giggled at the aggravation in Rachel's last sentence. She glanced around quickly to make sure that the Captain was nowhere in sight – he could be surprisingly quiet – before she teased. "Captain Chandler is not used to being questioned. But, truthfully, he probably finds the challenge appealing. Assuming that he eventually wins, of course. Or at least thinks he has won."

Rachel arched an eyebrow at Kara. "One of these days you are going to need to tell me about the beginning of your relationship with Danny."

"No ma'am. There is far too much chance of that information getting back to our commanding officer," Kara replied smartly. "I do wonder…"

"If Danny still loves Rebecca?" Rachel asked when Kara trailed off, easily guessing what was on Kara's mind. Kara nodded. "In some ways, I imagine that the answer is yes. From my observations of Danny and Rebecca together, which admittedly have been limited, Danny seems to care about her welfare. But keep in mind that Danny made a choice to end his relationship with Rebecca, Kara. That is very different than a relationship terminated by death or forces outside of one's control."

Frankie chose that moment to open her eyes and look up at Kara, her forehead scrunching as she considered whether she was comfortable or should start screaming her head off. Gathering Frankie into her arms, Kara cooed at the infant, noticing how much like Danny she looked when she was disgruntled. "Mama's here. And look, it's Auntie Rachel."

"That reminds me of why I came here in the first place," Rachel said, her hand brushing against the infant's head. "We got the results of Frankie's bloodwork back. She's immune to the virus."

"Is it permanent?" Kara asked. Rachel had been uncertain whether Frankie would be born with permanent immunity, or if she would merely receive Kara's antibodies, leaving the infant with only temporary protection.

"Yes, but not for the reason that I expected," Rachel explained. "Frankie is naturally immune."

"How is that possible?" Kara stared at Rachel, confused. "Natural immunity is an inherited trait and neither Danny nor I are immune."

"You weren't, obviously," Rachel replied. "I never tested Danny's blood, though, since he didn't qualify for the vaccine trial. Quite honestly, at the time I believed that natural immunity was so rare that I didn't think to check the crew before distributing the vaccine."

"But you checked Danny's blood every time he left the ship to see if he had been exposed," Kara objected, confounded by the knowledge that Frankie – and presumably Danny – was naturally immune. "Wouldn't something have shown up?"

"I was only looking for signs of the virus – not signs of immunity," Rachel explained. "In Bertrise's case, knowing that she was naturally immune, I deliberately exposed her blood to the virus in order to isolate the gene in her blood that provided her with that immunity. The process is very different."

"Are you certain?"

"As certain as I can be without testing Danny's blood. Since he wasn't around to provide a sample, I located his sister and determined that she is also naturally immune. Which strongly suggests that it is a familial trait and not a random occurrence."

"That means his mother and brother, they might be immune too, right?" Kara asked, hesitantly, barely able to believe what Rachel was saying. Immunity would increase the likelihood of Joanne and Christopher Green's survival exponentially.

"Caroline Green informed me that her father died of the virus, leading me to believe that Caroline, and probably Danny, inherited the gene that provides immunity from their mother. As for their brother, there is no way of knowing whether he also has the gene. Natural immunity is rather complex, and we still don't fully understand how immunity is inherited. I have received information on several families where all members were immune, indicating that the gene is dominant, and others where only one member of the family survived. Doctor Milowsky has been taking the lead on the research and has theorized that a second gene may be required to activate the gene that provides immunity. A light switch, if you will. But he hadn't been able to determine what the second gene is."

"Does anyone else know?" Kara asked.

"Just Captain Chandler," Rachel explained. "I told Caroline Green that I needed a sample of her blood to run the test on Frankie. I haven't shared the results with her."

"Could you wait until Danny is back to tell her? Maybe tell them together?" Kara asked. Assuming that Danny came back. Kara pushed the thought aside.

"Of course," Rachel replied. "I would like to inform Doctor Milowsky of the results. This information would be extremely useful to his research."

"I understand," Kara replied.

Rachel stood to leave. "Oh, you should know that Solace made port this morning. Doctor Morrison and Miss Carlton are currently assisting with the installation of the equipment, which will take a day or two. Danny should return from Massachusetts just before the ship leaves for Norfolk."

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Danny lay flat in the dirt several hundred meters from his objective, Ward and Cruz to his right. Two clicks over the radio indicated that Burk and Cobra team were on the move. If all went according to plan, within ten minutes Cobra should have taken out the guards and established a perimeter. Two clicks meant it was safe for the other teams to proceed. Three clicks meant retreat. Danny knew that the next few minutes of waiting for those clicks would feel like an eternity.

Focusing back on his own responsibilities, Danny considered the dam again. It was an earthen dam built back in the 1920s, one that had withstood almost a hundred years of pounding water without issue. Destroying it would take some creativity. The trick was going to be finding a weak spot, creating a crack in the dam itself, and then relying on the force of the water to finish the job. Rob had thought, based on a vague memory from an elementary school fieldtrip, that fish ladders and windows had been installed in the dam back in the 1970s. If so, those areas would be weaker and could be exploited. But there was no way of knowing whether Rob's memory was correct until they were inside, one of the many reasons why taking out the personnel inside the dam needed to be done as quickly and quietly as possible. Without any firm date on the interior structure of the dam, Danny needed as much time as possible to determine where to set the charges, and he didn't need reinforcements showing up. Although he had brushed up on his familiarity with explosives following the events on the Vyerni and Solace, it was by no means his area of expertise and there was going to be a fair amount of winging it going on.

Two clicks. Indicating to Cruz and Ward that it was time to move, Danny crept as silently as possible through the trees, avoiding the patches of dry leaves as he headed directly towards the exterior door to the dam. In the two hours that they had been watching, only a single guard had been present, the man giving away his location by the cigarettes that he was chain smoking. In less than a minute the man was in the dirt and Danny was grinding out the cigarette with his boot, concerned about sparking a fire in the pine needles that blanketed the ground. Leaving Ward to guard the door, Danny and Cruz slipped inside, taking a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dim, artificial glow in the room around them. They headed down the hallway, Cruz on point, until the sound of voices drifted towards them. Listening closely, Danny thought he heard mention of a failed lever. Nothing to indicate that their presence had been detected. Peeking around the corner, he could see two men.

He looked at Cruz, holding up his fingers. _One. Two. Three._

In less time than it took to round the corner, they had the men on the floor, their arms zipped behind them and their mouths covered. And Danny realized that they had hit paydirt. The control room. Flipping through the cameras, Danny located only a half dozen more personnel inside the dam. And Rob's shaky memories had been correct. Not only were their fish ladders, but there was another area of the wall that had been dug out and appeared to be half completed. No doubt construction that had been halted as the pandemic began.

"Take these guys to Ward and meet me at the end of the hall."

One of the more challenging aspects of this mission was that they needed to empty the place before blowing it to kingdom come. Not that Danny was bothered by the idea of killing a few Alliance sympathizers in general, but tying up a man and letting him drown was a different story.

Reaching the door to the turbine room where four of the remaining targets were sitting, Danny fastened the door with a zip-tie and continued down the passage to the fish ladders. He could tell the instant that he reached the room what the men inside were doing, the sweet scent of pot unmistakable. Danny shook his head, wondering if the Alliance could make this any easier. Cruz gave a short whistle to signal his arrival and Danny rolled his eyes as he indicated the next room, Cruz raising his eyebrows in amusement as he realized what was going on.

These two were even easier to knock out. While Cruz was dragging the bodies down the hallway, Danny took the time to case the room. The fish ladders were here, as well as several glass windows designed to allow visitors to watch the fish moving along the ladders. But the weakest spot, by far, was an area that was half dug out of the wall, either to expand the fish ladder or add some sort of elevator system. Danny plastered the room with charges. Now to finish emptying the place.

"Flashbang," he breathed to Cruz as he snapped the ziptie trapping the remaining men, who continued to be oblivious to anything going on around them. Danny threw open the door and Cruz tossed the grenade, both men turning their faces to avoid being blinded by the flash of light, before thundering into the room. The men put up no resistance, despite having the greater number, their shock at being caught unaware apparent. Leaving Cruz to handle cleanup, Danny set the remainder of the charges in the control room. Even if the dam wasn't completely destroyed, it should be rendered non-operational without significant repairs.

Following Cruz out into the night, Danny spoke into his radio for the first time. "Vulture to Cobra. Objective complete. Do we have a green light?"

"This is Cobra. We have lost contact with Tiger. Attempting to reestablish." Burk's voice was calm, but Danny knew Burk's voice well enough to hear the note of concern. Burk did not think that this was an equipment issue. Rob's group was in some sort of trouble.

"Secondary rendezvous?"

"Roger that."

Danny turned to Ward and Cruz. "Leave them here, tied. We need to bust it to the secondary location."

Running through the trees towards the building housing the radio tower, the men didn't bother trying to hide his approach. As anticipated, Wolf and Tex were waiting for them just out of sight near the rear door to the building.

"Keep your heads down," Danny muttered as he hit the radio control, setting off the explosives at the dam. A thunderous explosion filled the air, the sky lighting up as the charges blew chunks of concrete in every direction, and the tower going dark in an instant. The door to the building opened and several men came tearing out to investigate, running directly into Vulture's path, no ability to evade the team as they circled them and unarmed them without firing a shot. Sliding on his night vision googles, Danny followed Wolf through the door, unable to shake a sense of unease. Rob was a ranger. His men were trained marines. For them to have lost contact, something bad must have happened. Danny did not want to fall into the same trap.

A moment later, Danny's instincts were confirmed. Wolf signaled to stop, leaning down to check the pulse of a body lying to the side of the hallway. Taking a step closer, Danny recognized Eric. Wolf gave a thumbs up sign, indicating that the man was alive, although it was impossible to tell how injured the man was.

"Ward, take him and meet up with Burk. Now." Danny hit his mic. "Sending New London your way with a package."

"Roger that. Mother made contact." Burk replied. "Boogey is twenty mics out."

So the Captain was sending the helicopter. There were too many of them to evacuate in one trip, but having some firepower to cover their escape would make getting the hell out of Massachusetts a tad easier. And Danny suspected that they were going to need it.

A moment later the hall split, forcing them up or down the stairs.

"Split up?" Wolf asked.

"No, that's what did in the rangers," Danny surmised. "Separated them and picked them off one at a time. I'll go down. Stay back but do not lose visual contact."

"You trying to get yourself killed?" Tex huffed. "I'll do it. Moron."

Tex was halfway through the lower hallway before the side door slammed open, putting him on the floor. Danny winced as the older man hit the floor hard, knowing that Tex was going to be hurting in the morning. But Wolf was ready, taking out both men before they had time to move a step further.

"God, my head!" Tex howled as he dragged the men to the side of the hallway and tied their hands. "You owe me Green."

"Help Tex check the rest of the hallway," Danny said to Cruz. A moment later Tex and Cruz confirmed that the rooms were clear of enemies. There was still no sign of Rob or the other marines. As they crept towards the upper level, Danny almost missed the trip wire on the third to top stair. Such a trap indicated a sophisticated level of military knowledge, one that didn't square with the ease with which they had taken out the dam. Why protect the tower while leaving the power source – the dam – so vulnerable? Something about the situation felt off, but Danny didn't have time to consider the implications. Right now the highest priority was finding the missing marines, making sure that the jamming signal was dead, and getting the hell out of here. Stepping over the wire, the team slowly advanced to the top floor. A glow appeared under the door of a room at the far end of the hallway. As they cautiously approached, checking each room for signs of an ambush, Danny could hear the muffled sound of someone moaning. The sound of someone being beaten, being tortured. Despite knowing that it was trap, that they were likely walking into a hostage situation, Danny had no choice but to swing the door open.

And was blindsided by the sight before him. There was a man lying on the ground as an assailant stuck a knife stuck into him over and over again. But it wasn't Rob lying there. Instead, Rob was the one kneeling over the other man, drenched in blood, his knife buried in the other man's stomach. Several other men sat in the corner, their terror and panic evident, while the missing marines kept guard over them, their guns now trained on Vulture.

"What the hell are you doing?" Danny demanded.

"You have no idea what he has done," Rob snarled. The man on the gurgled, blood leaking from his mouth.

"I don't care what he's done, marine! We do not kill civilians. Call off your men and give me the knife. Now!"

Rob sat, his focus entirely on the man before him. As Danny got closer he could hear the man whispering. "Please Rob. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I didn't know. She was my sister for God's sake. You have to believe me."

"Rob. Give me the knife." Danny spoke loudly, trying to drown the other man out, hoping that he would get the hint and shut up. "We can still fix this. You haven't gone too far yet."

Rob looked up, finally, and Danny could see the tears streaking his face. He looked at his men and dropped the knife on the floor. "Put down your guns boys. You have been nothing but loyal. But this isn't your fight."

Danny moved forward as the marines lowered their guns, intending to kick the knife away from Rob, but he had only taken a single step before Rob pulled his pistol from its holster and shot himself in the head.


End file.
